A Taste of Morroco: Getting Roughed up in a Hamam

So today with 2 other girls and 3 guys we headed to a hamam in Fes. At the suggestion of Katherine, another fellow traveler I befriended in Casablanca, who had suggested I try a hamam, I set out with these other 5. Not really excited at the though of it since I didn't really know what a hamam is. I thought for 50 Dirham you get a massage, yeah a massage. I was horrified at the experience not crazy but I did it. First thing, you walk in pay your 50. Then the boys to their separate way. And the ladies to their section. We agreed to meet up 40 minutes later in the front. The first thing they have you do is strip to your underwear and walk in bare footed past a couple of rooms at sauna temperature and humidity pass other ladies and ladies bathing their kids all either naked with just bottoms on or fully naked. Now knowing that I was going to get dumped on by hot water, and I mean, hosed by hot water by buckets thrown at you, I insisted on taking my bottoms off, or I was going to walk the streets in wet pants. Since I didnt bring swim bottom like the other girls, I insisted. But the lady who was going to give me good scrub down insisted that I keep them on. Ok, so it was. We entered this room where buckets of hot water with a throw bowl floated in each. So there we are all three seated on the floor with just our bottoms on. The 1st thing is the lady scrubs the 1st girl down. Down the front, back, arms, legs. Then dump hot water over you. Then a massage of soap again all over the body. Then again, more water get hosed down. This was repeated to each of us, and honestly it was rather uncomfortable the temperature and humidity was awful. The nakedness you get used to since it really is no big deal. The cleanliness of the place is got to me as all I could think was the dirt and all else. Never mind. You get the idea. Ok in the end the lady hosed more hot water at me. It wasnt really what I thought it was. Just felt like a kid being bathed by your parent. But it was an experience. A visit to Morocoo would not be complete without a visit to the hamam.