Hanging Out In A Hammam

In what was a first for me, outside of the usual circumstances, I was bathed by a grown man yesterday.

KL's very first hammam opened a few months ago, and it's situated opposite my gym. I have to walk past it when I head for the escalator and over the past few months, I got more and more curious about this 'wet sauna'. I happened to read a write-up about it on Friday in a magazine and thought, right, I'd give it a try after my weekend workout.

I chose the Prince Hammam Treats (I kid you not) package, which lasts about an hour and 40 minutes and costs RM235 (USD68). So I get there, fill up my particulars and then get ushered into what you might call the waiting lounge, which looked like a modernized version of the hammam that I had only seen on TV documentaries, and that one movie from long ago about a Turkish bath.

I was introduced to Mike, my tellak (or masseur), who passed me my bathrobe and locker key. Behind a curtained cubicle, I changed, slipped into the purple paper underwear that was provided, and stepped out in my robe. Mike then led me to the private heated room, where he explained what the treatment would entail - wash, scrub (gommage), massage.

Then in the confines of a well-lit warm room, which had taps - shaped like deer heads - spouting water into a tiled basin, he started to bathe me. It was odd, at first, cos I was just sitting on the bench and Mike was pouring water on me, and then applying the pre-scrub and washing treatments. He was very hands-on and professional, so I got over the awkwardness and let him do his job.

After the wash, intense scrub and another wash, I was led to the waiting lounge while Mike changed and prepared the massage room. I was a bit self-conscious waiting in what was basically a common area, and indeed, guests were being shown around the dimly-lit space while I was sitting on a cushioned seat in my bathrobe. But the baklava they served were yummy so I focused on that.

I then stepped into the massage room, slipped into a new pair of purple briefs for the massage (no hanky panky here, thank you) and laid down on a proper massage table - you know, the ones with a hole on the headboard where your face goes through.

The combo of a heated room, the ylang ylang oil and Mike's massage technique eased the knots in my back and shoulders, and I could feel myself relaxing more and more until I actually heard myself snoring.

You're not supposed to shower for an hour after the massage to allow the oils to absorb into your body. Thankfully, they used a high grade oil so it didn't feel sticky at all. I was happy, rested, relaxed and ready for the world.

I went back home, made a salad and played online Scrabble 'til 5 in the morning.