The Moors conquered Andalucia and brought with them the traditional Arab baths or hammams. During the Moorish times, the 11th century, in every street of Granada there was an Arab bath; hundreds of them existed but were closed down when they fell to the Christians.
Arab baths also called as hammams, originated in the Middle East. It is the counterpart of the westerners, steam bath. In the Arab countries, it played an integral part of their culture, are not only for hygienic purposes but the place is also for social gatherings, and also as architectural sites. The hammams offers relaxation and also for cleansing as part of their ritual ablutions before reciting prayers from their Koran. Men and women are segregated; they have their own Arab baths.
The structure of an Arab bath has to be strong enough to withstand the changing temperatures of the water inside the baths and the temperature outside. Mortars are used for the walls and bricks and stones for the ceilings, it has less ventilation and a few small decorative windows on the ceilings to allow light for illumination.
Most of Arab baths have three rooms; the first room is the hallway, used for resting, the second room is the changing room where their heads and bodies are wrapped in white clothes, and third room, the central room is the room where the pool of warm water is under the heated furnace is located. Perspiration is induced from going to the last room to the first room. Some are being dipped to and fro from cold water to extreme hot water.
Most of baths offer massages and treatments after. Some even have services such as pedicures and hair dressing. Some offer mint tea and pastries after the massages and has a designated place for that such as a tea room. Various styles and various ways of pampering have emerged through the changing time; it depends on which baths you want to experience and what suits you.
Five (5) centuries passed and now they are bringing back the Moorish tradition and for tourists to experience and relax while visiting places in Granada. In 1998 Alhambra, Granada opened its first built hammam or in Spanish it’s called Banos Arabe, Calle Santa Ana, with sensual Arabian music and decorative ceilings and tiles, with candles, incense and essential-oil massages. Only fourteen (14) people can be accommodated to this bath at a time. There is a tea room; you can have a mint tea and some patries after having the sessions.
Also in Granada, the Aljibe San Miguel has seven salt-purified pools which differ from their temperatures. This bath can accommodate forty two (42) people in their large bath house. They have full massages and aromatherapy massages lasting for twenty five (25) minutes to one (1) hour.
Because of the success of the baths, the size of the Arab baths now in Granada is tripled. Granada is Moorish itself; exotic with its narrow streets, Moorish food, arabesque walls, so on and addition to it is bringing back the Arab baths makes Granada an authentic Moorish place to experience.
