The hammam is an ancient purification ritual practiced by the Moroccans, Turkish, Greeks and the Romans. Baths today are a private and solitary activity but traditional hammam rituals were often centered around entertainment and social gatherings. The quarters for men and women were separate but often entire families would get together for the hammam ceremony.

Besides purification, ablution and serving as a meeting point; the hammam had a host of health benefits. Those who frequented the baths enjoyed better circulation, reduction of fatigue, lymphatic drainage and elimination of toxins. The ritual was often complemented with hot cups of sweetened herbal tea and intermittent visits to cooler rooms or cold showers to prevent excessive dryness and dehydration.

My experience at the ‘Aheli Spa’ was nothing short of royal. The spa director, had spoken pretty favourably of the Hammam and considering it was the only one in the capital- I just had to check it out. Monica, the senior spa therapist for the day brought me into the gorgeous room and showed me all the different products she was going to be working with. Traditionally, the hammam only promoted the use of natural, organic ingredients like rosewater, clay, essential oils and others free from chemicals. Aheli Spa was no different- they used a blend of premium ingredients sourced from Egypt, Morocco and India.

I was told that the ritual lasted about 75 minutes and guaranteed healing, detoxification and relaxation. I have to admit that I was a tad nervous about how I was going to relax and unwind because my daily chores were running through my head. The room was heated to 45 degrees celcius and I was instructed to lie face down on a warm marble stone. The process began with a gentle face massage and wash with eucalyptus and neem extract that helps purge the skin off any impurities. This was followed in quick succession with the body wash that had antimicrobial and antiseptic qualities. Monica was patient, gentle and extremely adept at what she was doing. She applied a coffee bean based organic scrub to exfoliate and remove the dead skin underneath and used the opportunity to press the acupressure points and massage areas that felt sore and tender.I was ridiculously tanned from my time in Bali and Monica was really taking her time with me, making sure I didn’t look like a sunburnt pelican after the treatment. My skin felt noticeably smoother to touch and looked more even as soon as she washed the scrub off. She didn’t use a hose or pipes but used buckets of water to wash the product away.

At this point I was really relaxed but I made sure I got up at regular intervals to hydrate so as to prevent dehydration. The highlight of the ritual began when Monica started to use a cotton cloth that she had soaked in soapy water to create the most magnificent bubbles. She covered me from head to toe in these bubbles and proceeded to work on my tender and trigger points to bring relief from my shoulder and upper back pain. The bubbles looked absolutely incredible and while they felt very light and weightless, she assured me that this process had a purpose and so I believed her. Finally, the treatment was rounded off with a mask made from rhassoul clay and pure argan Oil. Monica wrapped me up once the wrap had dried to let the ingredients really seep in for it to benefit the body.

Monica massaged my face and eyes, and used a clarifying neem and eucalyptus based shampoo for my hair wash to get rid of sebum, dandruff and excess oils. I rushed in for a cold shower post the ritual and was welcomed to several cups of sweet herbal tea afterwards. My skin felt less damaged, tan lines were made less visible and skin was smoother to touch. I felt incredibly relaxed and at ease and it was the perfect antidote to the 9 hour flight from Bali the night before. I would definitely recommend the Hammam ritual for those of you longing to release tensions, stress, eliminate fatigue and serve as a detox. The temperature in the room takes a while to get used to but if you are relaxed and drink plenty of fluids through the treatment- you are good to go.

Word of caution- the room is heated to about 45 degrees. Please inform the massage therapist and hotel management beforehand if you have any ailments, heart issues or blood pressure fluctuations that may be altered during the course of the treatment.

Quick Notes:

Dusit Devarana New Delhi
Samalkha, NH-8, New Delhi – 110037

Website – http://devarana.in/

Call +91 9910034296, +91-11-33552211

Cost 6500+ taxes

Duration-75 minutes

The spa therapist recommends a session every fortnight or so for long lasting results.

Photo Credits- Dusit Devarana