Savon noir is not really a soap but a black paste; can be bought only in a hammam and kept for a month or so, after which it cannot be used anymore. It is an exfoliator and it is supposed to be the best.
Oil D’argan is an oil that we ever heard of before--in Essaouira it is famous and everywhere; apparently this oil can be bought only here and it is considered a “miracle oil”. It can be bought as a cooking oil and as cosmetical oil; also used as main ingredient for many cosmetic products.
I am really curious about this oil’s properties so got myself a small oil bottle and a soap.
1824Back to the hammam = bath, the one I went to is was called Lalla Mira.
Hammam is a made of stone, small, low ceiling, dark, steamy hot room. The room is completely empty besides a water troughs and a few very thin white mats on the floor.
I lied on the mattress on the floor; this woman came up and poured a bucket of warm water on me. After she started rubbing me with a glove dipped in savon noir; she is not very gentle, she flips me around rather abruptly. She is not talking just concentrating on her “work”; despite the abruptness the rubbing feels good. At the end another bucket of water is thrown on me.
Now there is the wrapping in something muddy. Once I am all wrapped up she leaves me lying there on the mat for about half hour. It feels really good all wrapped up lying motionless in a quite hot room.
Another bucket of water; then there is washing – hair, body, oooo that feels really good.
At the end there is massage with the d’argan oil. That is the best part, I could have been there for a longgggg time.
An hour and something later I am perfectly clean and stress free; my skin is oily and soft.
Oooooo I really enjoyed the hammam. I will have to do it one more time before I leave Morocco.
In the dressing room I struck up a conversation with a woman; she was my “bath mate”. Her name is Elisabeth and she is from United States, just visiting Morocco for a week. We made plans to meet for dinner.
At 8pm we met Elisabeth and her friend Joe; we went to Sirocco restaurant. Everything on the menu looked really yummy, hmmmm hard to decide what to eat.
I had Moroccan salad, Tajine Sardines and Chocolate cake, lots of food, but I managed to eat everything because it was too good to leave on the plate.
Tanjine Sardines
During our dinner a magician came to show us tricks; he was very good, he did all the tricks asking us to help, we looked at him in wonder as he was so close to us, but yet we did not see how he was able to manage the tricks.
July 3 was a good day! the trip goes on :)
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