Want to break with the everyday and succumb to the magic of the East by experiencing its beneficent care? Opt for ancestral know-how practiced in the hammam, secrets of beauty that are transmitted from mother to daughter.
The hammam, a historic place of social link
Also known as the Moorish bath , the steam bath dates back to the Greco-Roman era, but it was only after the advent of Islam in the seventh century that hammams became one of the essential elements of the Arab- Muslims, especially near mosques. The religious saw in it a process of purification facilitating the practice of ablutions before prayers.
Initially reserved for men, hammams for women were born under the impulse of the prophet Mohammed, convinced that its heat could increase fertility. A place of socialization from the beginning, the hammam is always prized to be friends, to prepare for religious festivals or family events.
Rituals of ancestral beauty
- A purifying treatment with black soap
The traditional hammam consists of three rooms at different temperatures: tempered for rest, 32 ° for treatments, 45-50 ° saturated with 100% humidity, the famous steam bath, ideal prelude to oriental care. "It is imperative to stay there for 20 minutes to benefit from its detoxifying virtues ," explains Sonia, director of the Thermes Marins of Carthage, thalasso-spa of the hotel The Residence Tunis, which adds: " the sweating opens the pores of the skin , allows to evacuate the toxins and prepares the epidermis to a deep cleaning ".
Heir to the ancestral rituals, Mamia, like a true nanny, takes care of you as she would prepare a girl before the wedding. "In the shower, it coats you with black soap , paste of scrub without grain, obtained from a mixture of oil and black olives crushed and macerated in salt and potash, both washing, moisturizing and rich in regenerating vitamin E, "continues Sonia.
- A kessa glove scrub
After a few minutes of laying, Mamia rubs you vigorously with a granular glove called kessa which facilitates the exfoliation (some hammams use the loofah vegetable sponge).
It begins at the lower part of the body, then rises to the shoulders, activating blood circulation. The dead skin, transformed into black particles, will be eliminated during rinsing.
- A wrap rich in minerals and trace elements
For a more silky skin, return to the steam bath for a Tfal wrap , gray clay taken from the Atlas, known since antiquity for its purifying virtues . In Morocco, it is called Ghassoul (pronounced Rhassoul in Arabic). "We dilute this oily soil full of minerals and trace elements with rose water to make it creamy. We also use it as a facial mask for oily skin (it absorbs sebum and brightens the complexion) and in a hair mask to moisturize the hair, "continues Sonia. At the end of the 20mn in the steamy atmosphere of the hammam, we sank in a torpor whose new shower does not come to an end.
- A massage with argan oil and sweet almond
"In order to alleviate the feeling of fatigue due to the warmth and energetic maneuvers of Mamia, we have included in this Oriental Escape treatment a little extra that has nothing ancestral but is linked to our thalassotherapy: a bath bubbling with chromotherapy in warm sea water with rose water, "says Sonia.
Follow the relaxing oriental massage with argan oil or sweet almond oil, taught by another therapist. It alternates kneading, kneading, smoothing, loosening muscular tension, especially at the back, and drawing circles around the belly in a clockwise direction.
- Traditional Honey Hair Removal
The Oriental pre-wedding ritual also includes a honey waxing. A painless ancestral technique that is practiced before or after the hammam. " The hair is torn off with a ball of warm caramel, made up of sugar, water, scalding honey and antiseptic lemon. This 100% natural method, without parabens, nor preservative, slows the regrowth because lemon acid burns the bulb. Other positive points: no redness, no irritation and no sticky residue on the surface of the skin, "concludes Sonia.
The satin skin, the body lightened by its toxins, its head emptied of its cares, one prolongs this soft beatitude under the starry cupola, at the edge of the swimming pool of heated sea water, sipping a tea with mint.
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At 2h30 flight from Paris, on the shores of the Mediterranean, The Residence Tunis is a haven of peace with Arab-Andalusian architecture surrounded by a lush garden. Called Les Thermes Marins in Carthage, the thalasso-spa recreates the magical atmosphere of oriental hammams with columns, patios, fountains.
Contact: cenizaro.com/en/theresidence/tunis
Escapade Orientale: 250TDN (Tunisian dinar) 2h30.
Hair removal with honey: 55TDN (20 €) to 150 TDN (55 €) from 15 to 35mn according to the chosen areas.
