Hamman: A Turkish (or French or Moroccan) Delight

 O'Kari Hammam

While playing around on the Internets the other day, I came across this post at Hip Paris Blog about Paris’ Hammam Scene. Turns out hammam are traditional North African or Turkish steam baths.

According to SpaFinder, 2010 is the year of the hamman (I've also seen it spelled haman). Basically, these are public baths (men and women bathe separately) that include a massage and exfoliation.

I'm not sure how I feel about public baths, and they don't seem to have caught on in the U.S. yet. But it sounds like they are a more economical and less chi-chi way to get a nice steam and massage. What do you think? Would you try out a hammam during your travels?