Last updated on February 13, 2012
The lady at the hotel told me that there are no hammams in the medina. Being the skeptical cynic that I am, I decided to meander through the medina past where the women only hammam is supposed to be. First, I mapped the route on my iPhone and took screenshots of each of the steps. I tried to keep as much of the surrounding streets as possible in the screenshot knowing my propensity for getting lost!! At some point, I went past the hammam that I’d read was for men only and it was open. That gave me hope. I continued on. Out of 7 steps, I could only follow the first three. However using the maps and ignoring my poor directional intuition, I finally found Rue des Juges (more or less by accident and persistence).
The hammam was obvious because of the bright colors used for the doorway. I asked two men on the street if it was for women and they said yes. I entered. The presence of women confirmed that I’d found the correct place. I paid about 620 dinar for scrubbing, hair washing, and a new scrubbing mitt and was told to bring my things back to the lady, who I’d paid, for safekeeping. When ready, I was lead into the sauna and given my supplies. I scrubbed myself and then was bright to a marble top where I was scrubbed some more and my hair was quickly washed. Out of my three hammam experiences, the other two having been in Istanbul and Petra, this was the least vigorous!!
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