The Hammam at the Mosquée de Paris

When my friend said she was coming over for a visit from England recently I wanted to line up something special. "I know!" I said to myself one afternoon at work as I ignored our policy on internet usage. "We can go to the Hammam at la Mosquée de Paris for a few hours of pampering and relaxing."

Sometimes I wonder if I know myself at all. I tense up when my own Mother hugs me, massages really aren't my thing.

My first thought when we walked into the Hammam (once we'd actually found the entrance door which is cleverly hidden behind a sweet counter) was that I'd clearly had no idea of what a Hammam actually was. I was expecting hot baths to lounge lazily about in, but no, it's actually the setting of a teenage boy's wet dream.

Through a series of three rooms, essentially naked women idly wandered, looking like they'd walked straight out of a pre-raphelite painting. Cowbags.

The only dress regulation was that bikini bottoms had to be worn, which for some girls meant thongs (as in g-strings for any Australian readers who think I might be getting prudish about revealing footwear.)

For the first few minutes my friend and I stood, in our modest one piece swimming costumes, and just stared at the small groups of girls lying around in pairs on the various tiled seating/lying areas, slowly, nay, sensually rubbing each others' naked flesh.

"Mate" I said, turning to my friend. "I love you, but I'm not going to massage you, just so you know."
"Damn right you won't be." She replied.

Stiff and awkward, we whispered to each other about what we were supposed to do. We'd put our names down for a massage and body scrub but it hadn't specified what time. Were we going to be called? Should we wait in the massage area? What is even the whole point of a Hamamm? What in whoever's name was going on?

So far, it wasn't exactly turning into the relaxing girly morning we'd had planned.

But, being the kind of girls we are, and spurred on by the 40+ euros we'd paid for our package, we soon rallied and figured out how we would approach the rest of the morning.

First, we tested all of the hot rooms to sit and sweat in. Comfortably propped up against the wall in a corner of the hottest room, and most definitely not rubbing each others' bodies like the other girls were, we quietly chatted and tried not to obviously stare and talk about all the naked massaging going on. Happy we were in our own perspiration.

Next, we had a body scrub, which, by the way, takes place in full view of anyone who happens to be walking past. The lady doing my scrub pulled the top half of my swimming costume down before I had chance to protest on behalf of my modesty, and buffed the living daylights out of my skin, including my boobs! I certainly felt like a new, and slightly raw, woman afterwards.

We then moved onto the massage area, and as my wrinkled body was rubbed and kneaded under the beautiful ceiling of the Hammam, I found I didn't care that in full view of everyone else, a complete stranger was massaging me, pups an' all.

Maybe I'm a new woman now? Less prudish and more open to physical contact. Hell, maybe I'll even start doing the French bises rather than thrusting my hand out at everyone to pre-empt their faces coming too close to mine. The next time I'll see my Mum maybe I'll pull her close to me for a big hug rather than just giving her a brief pat on the shoulder.

Or maybe not. Rome wasn't built in a day.

We finished the morning off with a cup of mint tea and a couple of snacks in the gorgeous garden of the Hammam cafe. Chuckling over how shy we'd been when we first walked in, we decided that overall, the morning had been a success. However, if we were ever to go again we'd prepare ourselves better, and that's how I will leave you, with our tips for a successful Hammam experience...

1. Take flip flops or some kind of footwear that you can wear in the Hammam.
2. Take two towels, one for lying on and one for drying yourself with afterwards.
3. Don't worry about the timings for the gommage and the massage, just turn up when you're ready and give them your ticket.
4. Prepare yourself for an incredible array of breast.
5. Leave your modesty at the door, your boobs will be exposed and massaged. By a stranger. 

If you go, have a great time, and let me know how you found it...

For a review of the other Hammams in Paris check out this blog post from the Girls Guide to Paris.

PP