Honest Experience at Argana Day Spa in Brooklyn, New York
I’ve been looking for a hammam in NYC for a long time. Many spas in the city offer a version of the traditional Moroccan hammam, but as a Moroccan native and hammam aficionado, I need an experience that resembles the one I have always enjoyed while in Morocco – and still treasure whenever I visit the country. This traditional hammam experience includes a hot steamy room, a deep skin exfoliation of the entire body using black soap, as well as the application of natural, herb-based body masks.
I was lucky to find Argan Day Spa in Brooklyn; it was exactly what I was looking for.
Here is everything you need to know about the Argana Day Spa hammam treatment based on my experience including how you can get the best out of your time there.
Argan Day Spa In NYC
Argana Day Spa is a family-owned spa in Brooklyn, New York. It offers an extensive menu of beauty treatments including facials, soothing massages, waxing, lash treatments, etc. They are one of the few centers in the US that offers a traditional Moroccan hammam treatment, using the same products used in traditional hammams in Morocco.
A Traditional Hammam Treatment in NYC
Hammam treatments vary, depending on what each spa decides to focus on. Most of them focus on a particular step in the process. It can be using steam to prepare the skin for treatment, a deep skin exfoliation of the body using traditional or in-house exfoliants, or nourishing the skin with mud masks, using herbs and other natural ingredients.
At Argan Day Spa, the hammam experience is traditional, meaning it’s like the one Moroccan women have on a regular basis at their local hammam center to take care of their skin and overall well-being.
If you are not familiar with a traditional Hammam treatment, in Morocco and worldwide,here is what you need to know.
Traditional treatments are done on the entire body. You get undressed and enter the hammam room with only your underwear on. This way, your entire skin benefits.
At Argan Day Spa, my experience started with prepping my skin with steam in the hammam room to open up the pores and get the skin ready.
As I lay in a warm, dim-lighted, steamy Hammam room feeling relaxed, the treatment started by applying black soap to my body. It is a kind of soap made in Africa from olive oil and an essential in every Moroccan woman’s beauty products. High-quality black soap is made only from natural ingredients as it helps the pores to open while gently preparing the skin for exfoliation.
Exfoliation in a traditional Moroccan Hammam is done using a Moroccan glove scrub called, Kessa. Once the black soap is rinsed, the Kessa scrub is used to exfoliate the skin gently. This is the part where you ask yourself how you had spent all this time without having a hammam treatment as you start seeing all the dead skin and toxins coming out.
In fact, with the Hammam exfoliation, you get rid of all the dead skin and everything else that clogs your pores and impacts your skin’s softness and complexion. It’s one of the best ways to exfoliate the skin. It is in my opinion better, more efficient, and gentler than many chemical peels and exfoliating body washes in the market.
In short, exfoliation in traditional Moroccan Hammam treatments has to be done using both black soap and the Kessa glove scrub. Both products work together to achieve the best results.
After the deep exfoliation, Argana spa included a body treatment to nourish and soften my skin even more. The treatment is optional but highly recommended from time to time. In Morocco, this treatment is used on brides to get them ready for their wedding day. This is how fancy this treatment is.
The treatment uses a mixture of natural flowers and herbs and is applied to the whole body while massaging. The smell is flowery and natural. Your skin will love it!
The treatment also included a deep hair and scalp treatment with organic oils and natural herbs. It reminded me of the homemade treatments my mother used to apply to my hair when I was young. Probably one of the best parts of the hammam – was that scalp massage that made me go back in time
What to Pack for Your Traditional Hammam at Argana Day Spa?
In Morocco, you pack your whole life to go to the traditional Hammam, as you need to bring your own towels, water buckets, a bottle of water (you’ll get thirsty with the steam!), flip flops, black soap, argan oil, shampoo, body wash, etc. You get the idea.
Argana Day Spa will provide most of these things, so you don’t have to worry too much about packing. They will provide disposable underwear, towels, bathrobe, flip-flops, and all the beauty products you will be using.
I however recommend packing a few things to get ready to leave the center. Here is what I packed for Argana Day Spa, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed:
- Clean underwear (believe me, you will feel so clean after the hammam that you will want to leave with fresh undergarments)
- A hair brush to comb your hair before leaving the center
- Your face cream and face serums
- Your makeup (I only packed a tinted lip balm as I was heading back home, but you get the idea)
- A small pouch for your jewelry and accessories
- A beanie and scarf to keep you warm, especially during the cold season
How often should you have a hammam treatment?
Growing up in Morocco, I used to go to the hammam every week. Now, whenever I visit the country, I put going to the hammam as a top priority on my list.
I would recommend going to the Hammam as often as you can and as much as your budget allows. This deep treatment will take care of your skin in the long run.
In my opinion, a traditional hammam treatment is worth much more than many expensive products and treatments on the market. Try it once, and you will see what I mean. There will be no going back!
Argana Day Spa Location and Price
The Argana Day Spa Center is located in Brooklyn at 7712 13th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11228.
You can ask for the treatment that I had – the Luxury Hammam treatment – or choose other treatments offered.
Can you Have Hammam at Home?
While you can have a treatment at home, nothing is really like going to a hammam center. I try to have a hammam treatment at home once a week until I can book a hammam treatment.
You can have the hammam experience at home using good quality traditional Moroccan black soap, a Moroccan glove scrub, and premium argan oil. This will help you care for your skin while waiting to get as real a treatment as the one you get at Argana Day Spa. Believe me, it’s one of the the best investments you can make for your skin!
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