What was I supposed to bring to the bathhouse? Would I just traipse around naked? Should I bring a bathing suit? A towel? Knowing what to bring to a Syrian hammam a public bathhouse and what to do once you get there can save you a lot of time and embarrassment. So, before you go, follow these simple rules.
Hammams are carpeted, noisy, smoky, full-contact affairs, and the atmosphere is something like a nudist colony, where everybody vaguely knows everybody else. Syrian baths are single-sex, but most facilities serve men and women at different times of the day. Many hammams set aside one day per week exclusively for women; some dedicate a few hours on multiple days.
Show up at the right time. Push it aside and enter. Women in various states of undress will be eating, smoking, praying, sipping tea, or corralling screaming and running children. Find the woman in charge. You can also order items a la carte. Go for the total package. Also, never cross this woman or break her rules. If you do, she will dispense rough, cigarette-smoking justice upon you while wearing nothing but her underwear. If you neglected to bring a pair of flip-flops or a towel, just ask the bath attendant to borrow one.
She will lend you a pair of gargantuan wooden slippers and a ripped sheet that has seen much better days. Follow the trail of steam emanating from the corner of the lobby and enter the bathing area. Sit next to it. Retreat to the tiled bathing room to soap up and wash your hair.
She will exfoliate every exposed inch of your skin with a swatch of material made of something between a rough natural loofah and a metal Brillo pad.
