Hammams

     There is a chain of high-end spas in Spain, themed after Arabic baths, called Hamman Al Andalus. Al Andalus, for those who are not familiar, was the name given to the Iberian peninsula when it was under Islamic control. It is the origin of the name of the southern region of modern-day Spain, Andalucía. Given our excellent experiences with bathhouses in Japan, we have been interested in paying a visit to Hammam Al Andalus since we arrived in Madrid. Starting at €45 for a basic package, visits are definitely a bit pricey. Fortunately, Karen’s birthday just happened, and they actually let you use the facilities for free on your birthday! (So long as you can jump through several difficult hoops to properly register online. For such a relaxing activity, the website is particularly counterintuitive to navigate and utilizes a stressful dynamic pricing scheme.) The location closest to us was booked up, so Karen trekked up to a location about an hour north via the metro to an area called Puerta de Hierro.

Interestingly, all visits are 90 minutes long. The birthday package does not include a massage, but if you do book a massage and/or aromatherapy option, that is also included in the 90 minutes. If you do book a massage, an attendant comes to call you out of the baths when your turn comes up, so there is some constant walking and talking in the background. The timed aspect of visits does make it clear that this is a for-profit spa.  For better or worse, it was a quiet day and several water features were out of service, so the bathhouse broke from policy and let guests stay as long as they wanted. Karen thinks this was an overall win! She stuck around for a total of around 3 ½ hours.

The bathhouse facilities boast a sauna, steam room, cold plunge, and a “hotter” plunge, all centered around a central, warm pool with a hydro-massage circuit you can walk through. Note, however, that the temperature differences between pools are relatively minor. The hots are definitely hotter and the colds are definitely colder in Japan. One perk: you can spend tens of minutes comfortably at each attraction. One con: less contrast, which can be exhilaratingly refreshing. One novel attraction was a series of 4 showers that each “played” their own choreographed (somewhat overwhelming) sequence using a variety of colored lights and alternating between spigots and temperatures. The spa also has a beautiful tiled Arabic-style tea room, where the cups of tea are about the size of a thimble. The tea was quite hot and Karen almost burnt herself on the metal cups. :-( If you’d had your share of sitting in water, there is a sunnier room with a “warm stone” you can lie on (a bit like a beached seal). There’s also some grand, lounge chair-shaped stones to chill out on.  Aside from the locker rooms, all facilities are co-ed, and the spa’s marketing definitely leans into its romantic date potential.

The "warm" stone for lying on

The tea room

The strength of Hamman Al Andalus is definitely its stunning architecture, which draws upon Moorish motifs, including horseshoe-shaped archways, columns, colorful tile work, and intricately carved stucco walls.  Take a look for yourself! (All of these photos are directly from Hammam Al Andalus since it isn’t advised to bring your phone into the water areas of the spa.)  Are we successfully enticing you to come visit?!

 

The ceiling cutouts are a striking light source

More impressive tile work

Note the horseshoe-shaped arches

Why is there a tradition of Arabic bathhouses in Spain?  Since visiting, Karen has done a bit more reading. Bathhouse culture in Spain took root during the period from 711-1492 when Muslims conquered and ruled the Iberian peninsula.  This article from the BBC has a general overview of the period.  Stemming from Roman empire’s bathhouse culture, Arabic bathhouses were central to daily life during this period.  This article by the MET mentions that Baghdad had a peak of about 60,000 bathhouses around the years 969-1056! It goes on to state, “By the medieval period, public baths had become an important part of community life, and the quality and number of baths counted among any city’s most admired attributes. Medieval authors mention hammams alongside mosques, madrasas (schools), and gardens in their descriptions of beautiful and prosperous cities."  Here are some images an Hammam and related artifacts from that MET article.

 Did you know that the Alhambra in Granada also features a bathhouse?  Here’s some background information on that: “Baths of the Mosque in Alhambra: Muhammad III built the baths of Alhambra mosque that were meant for traditional bathing before entering the mosque, as is common with Islamic traditions. Over the years, the baths deteriorated but were rebuilt in the 20th century. There were private bath areas reserved for the sultan. Men and women together were not allowed inside the baths. People of the same sex were allotted at a time. The baths had different rooms, including changing rooms, frigidarium (cold rooms), and caldarium (hot rooms). The floors were made of marble, while the walls were decorated with tiles and stucco.”