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Briefing and what to bring
Your guide explains the etiquette: what to wear, what is provided, how tipping the attendant works, and the order of the rooms.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
A traditional hammam in Fes
Go through the Moroccan bathhouse ritual in Fes: rooms of rising heat, savon beldi black soap and a hard kessa scrub, finished with mint tea. Choose a neighbourhood hammam with a guide or a quieter private hammam with a therapist. It takes about 1.5–2.5 hours and suits couples and first-timers.
- Private or small-group
- A local guide with you
- Quoted for your dates
What it's like
The hammam is a weekly habit in Fes, not a spa novelty. Every medina neighbourhood traditionally had its own bathhouse next to the mosque, the bakery and the fountain, and many still work. You move through rooms of rising heat, soften the skin with savon beldi (an olive-based black soap), and are then scrubbed hard with a kessa glove until the skin is properly clean.
There are two ways to do it. A local public hammam is the real thing: busy, steamy and inexpensive, with separate hours or sections for men and women. A private hammam, usually in a riad or a dedicated bathhouse, follows the same ritual with more space and a therapist, and is easier for couples and first-timers. We'll arrange either, and explain exactly what happens before you go in.
Best for: A slow afternoon after a long day of walking the medina; Travellers curious about everyday Fassi life; Couples (private hammam).
- How long
- About 1.5–2.5 hours
- Where
- Fes medina or the Ville Nouvelle
- How active
- Gentle, little walking
- Families
- Best for adults
How it runs
A typical running order. Timings shift with your group, the season and the day of the week.
0:10
Warm room, then hot room
Sit in the steam and let the heat open the pores. Water is drawn in buckets and poured over you rather than from a shower.
0:30
Black soap and kessa scrub
Savon beldi is spread on the skin and left for a few minutes, then the attendant scrubs you with the kessa glove from shoulders to heels.
1:00
Rinse, rhassoul clay (optional) and rest
Rinse off, optionally apply rhassoul clay from the Middle Atlas for the hair or skin, then cool down slowly in the warm room.
1:30
Mint tea
Rest with a glass of mint tea before heading back into the medina.
Up close
Savon beldi
A soft, dark soap made from olive oil and crushed olives. It is massaged in before the scrub to loosen dead skin.
Kessa
A coarse exfoliating mitt. A proper kessa scrub is vigorous and is the heart of the ritual.
Rhassoul
A mineral clay mined in the Moulouya valley of the Middle Atlas, mixed with water and used to wash the hair and skin.
Private or small-group
Private
A private hammam for your party, with a therapist and set times. The calmest way to try it, and the only way to go in as a mixed couple.
Small-group
A guided visit to a working neighbourhood hammam with a few other travellers of the same sex, with your guide explaining each step.
Practical notes
Bring or wear swimwear or underwear you don't mind getting wet, and a change of clothes. Public hammams separate men and women; private hammams can take couples together. Avoid the hammam if you are pregnant, have heart or blood-pressure conditions, or have just arrived after a long flight and are dehydrated.
Good to know
Public hammams have separate men's and women's hours or sections. Expect a vigorous scrub; ask the attendant for a lighter touch if you prefer. Drink water before and after; the hot room is properly hot.
Before you knock
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
What happens in a Moroccan hammam?
You move from a warm room to a hot steam room, wash with savon beldi black soap, then get a full-body kessa scrub from an attendant, rinse and rest. Many people add rhassoul clay at the end. Allow one and a half to two and a half hours.
Can couples go to the hammam together in Fes?
Not in a public neighbourhood hammam, where men and women are separated. A private hammam can host a couple together, which is what we book for couples.
What should I wear to a hammam?
Swimwear or underwear you don't mind getting wet. Women often keep bottoms on and men wear shorts or swim trunks. Bring a change of clothes. Towels, soap and the kessa are usually provided in a private hammam; for a public one we'll tell you what to bring.
Pair it with
Medina photography walkGates, fountains, dye vats and rooftops in the best light, with a local guide who knows the angles and how to photograph people respectfully.See how it runs
Andalusian & Gnawa musicAn evening of live Moroccan music in a riad: the refined Andalusian tradition Fes is known for, or the hypnotic guembri and iron castanets of Gnawa.See how it runs
Pottery at Ain NokbiClay, kick wheel, kiln and the cobalt 'Fes blue': see the whole ceramic process in the potters' quarter and throw a bowl of your own.See how it runsRead before you go: Things to do in Fes at night, Morocco etiquette and customs.
Send your dates. We'll fit this into your Fes days.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.