In Morocco the hammam is not a spa treatment: it is a habit, a weekly appointment, a social place. Almost every guest at the Riad Mylaya asks us on day one, "where should we go for a hammam?" — and the honest answer depends on what you are looking for: the raw authenticity of a neighbourhood hammam, the comfort of a riad spa, or palace luxury. Here are the three worlds, their prices and their unwritten rules.
Prices quoted for outside venues are orders of magnitude checked in September 2026 and change regularly. Only the Riad Mylaya prices are fixed. Confirm before booking elsewhere.
Neighbourhood hammam, riad spa, palace spa
The neighbourhood hammam (hammam baladi)
This is where locals go, usually next to the district mosque, with separate hours for women and for men. Entry costs a few dirhams — roughly 15 to 40 MAD, plus 30 to 70 MAD if you want a professional scrub — and you sit on the floor of a very hot room with your bucket and your black soap. It is the truest and cheapest experience in Marrakech. It is also the most disorienting: no elegant changing room, no soft music, shared basins, and you must bring your own towel, flip-flops, swimsuit and kessa glove. We happily send curious travellers there, once we have explained the etiquette.
The riad and Medina spa
This is the compromise most of our guests choose: the traditional ritual — beldi soap, kessa glove scrub, rhassoul clay, rinse — but in a private room, with a clean towel, tea afterwards and a therapist who speaks your language. Usually 250 to 700 MAD depending on length and venue.
At Riad Mylaya we work with a Medina spa whose therapists we know, and the prices are fixed and published: 40-minute beldi hammam at 450 MAD, premium balm version 550 MAD; one-hour relaxing massage at 470 MAD; and combined hammam + massage rituals from 770 MAD (hammam + 1h relaxing) to 1,130 MAD (hammam + Mythic premium, 2h05). Facials are 550 and 680 MAD, and add-ons — rhassoul, oriental bath, an extra 15 or 30 minutes of massage — run from 100 to 290 MAD. Open 10.30am to 6.30pm, up to eight people.
The palace spa
Marrakech has some of the finest spas on the continent. As an indication, a one-hour traditional hammam is around 1,300 MAD at La Mamounia, and Royal Mansour rituals range from roughly 1,600 to 3,400 MAD depending on length. This is unapologetic luxury: book several days ahead and treat it as an outing in its own right rather than a quick treatment.
What actually happens, step by step
- The hot room. You sit, you wet yourself down, you let the steam work for ten to fifteen minutes. Skin must be warm and relaxed before the scrub.
- Black soap (beldi). A black olive paste spread over the body and left for five to ten minutes. It does not foam: that is normal.
- The kessa scrub. The key moment, with a rough glove, firmly. You literally watch dead skin come off. Say if it is too hard — the therapist adapts.
- Rhassoul. A Middle Atlas clay, often scented with rose water or neroli, left on for ten minutes like a body mask.
- Rinse and argan oil. Buckets of warm water, then argan oil or balm on still-damp skin.
- Rest and tea. Twenty minutes lying down, a mint tea, plenty of water. Do not rush off: this is when the hammam does its work.
What to know before you go
- What to bring. In a neighbourhood hammam: swimwear or underwear, towel, flip-flops, kessa glove, black soap (all available in the souk for a few dirhams). In a spa: nothing, everything is provided.
- Nudity. You always keep your bottoms on. Public hammams are strictly separated by sex; in spas, private rooms and treatments for two are the norm.
- When. Late afternoon after sightseeing is best, or departure day before a night flight. Avoid straight after a large meal.
- How long. A hammam alone: 40 minutes. A hammam + massage ritual: 1h35 to 2h05. Allow another thirty minutes to rest.
- Health. Humid heat is not advised with heart conditions or poorly controlled blood pressure, or in late pregnancy. If in doubt, book a massage only.
- Tipping. Customary: 10 to 20 MAD in a neighbourhood hammam, around 10% in a spa if you are happy.
Booking your hammam from the riad
From your guest area, pick your treatment, date and time — 30-minute slots between 10.30am and 6.30pm — and the number of people; the total appears immediately in dirhams, you receive an email confirmation and everything is paid on site. We show you the way, a few minutes' walk from the riad, or we walk you there the first time. See also our hammam & spa page and our prices and budget article to place these rates in a full trip budget.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a hammam cost in Marrakech?
Three price levels: a neighbourhood hammam is roughly 15 to 40 MAD entry, plus 30 to 70 MAD for a professional scrub; a riad or Medina spa package usually runs 250 to 700 MAD; palace rituals go from 1,300 to over 3,000 MAD. At Riad Mylaya, the 40-minute beldi hammam is 450 MAD and the hammam + one-hour massage ritual is 770 MAD.
Do you need to bring anything to a hammam?
In a public hammam, yes: towel, flip-flops, swimwear or underwear, kessa glove and black soap — all available in the souk for a few dirhams. In a riad spa, nothing: towels, products and a robe are provided.
Hammam and massage: in which order, and how long?
Always hammam first, massage after: the skin is clean, warm and relaxed, and the massage works far better. Allow 40 minutes for a hammam alone, and 1h35 to 2h05 for a full ritual, plus twenty to thirty minutes of rest.
Are hammams mixed in Marrakech?
Public hammams are strictly separated, with different hours for women and men. In riad and hotel spas, rooms are private and treatments for two — a couple or two friends — are standard.
