New-age, high-tech beauty treatments are great and all, but sometimes the best wellness experience is the one that we’ve been doing for centuries.

The hammam is an ancient bathing ritual that dates back to the Roman and Byzantine periods, and is commonly found in countries including Türkiye, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt. Once considered obscure outside of its origin nations, the hammam is becoming a must-do wellness experience in North America, which accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the global industry in 2024. And Canada is the continent’s fastest-growing market.

This immersive full-body experience leaves guests feeling, as Aslıhan Tanrıver describes it, “reborn.” Tanrıver is the marketing and experience manager at D Maris Bay on Türkiye’s Datça Peninsula, where guests can experience a luxurious traditional hammam at the hotel’s opulent onsite spa.

Hammam treatments will have slight variations from culture to culture, but they all revolve around the idea of a deep full-body cleanse; most are self-guided experiences in communal bathhouses, but many places also offer private rooms with dedicated attendants for one or two guests. In Türkiye, private hammam rituals take place on a warm slab of marble; it begins with a body scrub using a traditional exfoliating glove (called a kese in Turkish). Guests are then covered in a cloud-like blanket of soft soap bubbles, and are gently washed from head to toe using buckets of cleansing water before being dried with fluffy towels and often moisturized with cream or oil. Afterwards, there’s no better plan than relaxing in the lounge with a cup of tea and enjoying the feeling of true bliss (and the softest skin known to humanity).

“Throughout the experience, not only is your body cleansed, but your mind also gets a chance to disconnect from everyday life,” says Tanrıver. “Allowing someone to care for you so attentively and gently can bring back that pure feeling from childhood—a feeling of being safe and completely looked after.”

In Canada, spas across the country are starting to offer traditional Turkish and Moroccan hammam treatments. Here’s where to get one.

Miraj Hammam Spa, Vancouver

Billed as Canada’s first dedicated hammam, Miraj Hammam Spa has been a wellness staple in Vancouver since it opened in 2000. The experience begins the second that guests enter the space, which is artfully decorated with Moroccan-inspired touches including trickling fountains and ornate benches that are reminiscent of a riad. Treatments range from a classic steam, scrub, and cleanse to add-ons such as a mud body mask, a full-body massage, and an aromatherapy facial.

Hammam Retreat & Spa, Calgary

This tranquil Calgary space offers standalone facials and massages, but the true experiences at Hammam Retreat & Spa are the traditional Moroccan and Turkish hammams. The Moroccan version includes an infrared sauna, Moroccan black olive oil soap, exfoliation, and a clay mask; the Turkish option, meanwhile, features an infrared sauna, cleansing rinse, coffee scrub, and oil application. The Signature Hammam takes things further with a foot scrub, followed by your choice of a relaxing hair mask or hair rinse with scalp massage.

Ten Spa, Winnipeg

Winnipeg’s Ten Spa pays homage to this ancient ritual with an immersive Turkish hammam treatment in an opulent, marble-clad bathhouse. Guests can opt for a self-guided experience, including a self-applied body scrub and access to the steam room and lounge; or they can choose a more elaborate treatment that includes a full-body scrub and wash—and even a full-body stretch—performed by a dedicated attendant. Either way, save room for some Moroccan mint tea and Turkish delight.

Hammam Spa by Céla, Toronto and North York

Hammam Spa by Céla, which has two Greater Toronto Area locations to choose from, offers an upscale take on this traditional bathing practice using the spa’s own brand of skincare. The Hammam Turkish Bath experience takes place on a traditional warm marble slab, and features a body cleanse and scrub, followed by a soothing blanket of bubbles and a splash of invigorating cold water. Those who want even more can go for the Céla Luxury Spa Ritual, which ups the ante with a sculpting facial and calming scalp massage.

Spa Marrakech, Montreal

Taking its cues from Moroccan hammam traditions, Montreal’s Spa Marrakech instantly envelops guests in its warm, luxurious embrace. The space itself is elegantly decorated with evil eyes, marble slabs, and accents of gold, which set the stage for the rejuvenating experience ahead: a black soap scrub rich in Vitamin E; a purifying clay wrap; and a regenerating argan oil massage—plus the traditional steam and scrub, of course. You’ll leave feeling lighter than air.

Images courtesy of D Maris Bay.