Oiled and Boiled

Post-“treatment” tea area at Hammam Ziani

A hamman is a public bath that Moroccans (and people of other ethnicities) frequent but some cater more to tourists. I once went to a hammam in Istanbul so thought I’d see what the Marrakesh version was like.
With two other women, I went to Hammam Zinia in the medina as that hammam  had received glowing reviews on a travel website and a nod of approval from our very savvy Moroccan guide. The owner, Moroccan born and Berkeley educated, greeted us and handed over baskets filled with our “supplies” in exchange for a modest payment. We were given a grand tour by a young woman with non-existent English and motioned into a locker area to shed our clothes, dressing in tiny disposable G-strings. A pretty blue sarong went over it but stayed on about two minutes.
First up, a lathering that removed dead skin and felt like it was getting below the epidermis. I watched brown guck floating by–apparently layers of skin I don’t need. We were then escorted to a very hot steam room to lie like hunks of fish on stone slabs, gazing up at the small holes in the roof that let in bits of blue sky, After a while, a woman came to help us slosh to the next room where we lay on plastic-covered tables for another scrubbing, this one with a rough loofah-like mitt. The table was so slippery it was hard not to slide off–good thing there was a metal grab bar at the head end. More skin shed, I was motioned to a small, plastic stool to have water sloshed all over and my hair washed. Next up, the massage room, again on slippery tables where I was pushed, pummeled and rendered almost limp–the next day bruises appeared on my forearms– but it felt great and released knots all over.

An America spa experience is much more modest and personal bits remain untouched. Not here. Nothing was lascivious but, as one of my companions remarked, “they worked on every inch short of the inner ear canal.”

With skin as soft as the one we’d been born with, we rested a few minutes until it was time to discard the G-string and dress. Then into a mirrored room with a fountain burbling into a pool filled with rose petals where tea was served and we were joined by a young British girl who had also been through the hammam experience. Her boyfriend arrived and described his workout that seemed very different than ours, involving all kinds of showering.

If you travel to a country that offers hammams, go for it. It was fun and very authentic. Since we’re talking steam, this recipe turns out a lovely steamed chicken and veggie dish.

Steamed Chicken and Vegetables with Soy Dipping Sauce
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups asparagus cut in two-inch pieces
1 cup halved sugar snap peas
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (cilantro is one of those foods you love or loathe. I always omit.)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; arrange chicken in a large vegetable steamer. Add water to a large saucepan to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Place steamer in pan; cover and steam chicken 10 minutes. Add asparagus and peas to steamer; cover and cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Combine cilantro (if using) and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Serve sauce with chicken and vegetables.
This recipe serves four and has only 250 calories per serving. Open the wine! Strike up the hot fudge dessert!