Hammam Spa Treatments Affirm Importance of Human Touch

During a Turkish hammam hot scrub your spa attendant will scrub your skin with a special mitt from head to toe, which helps to exfoliate away dry, old skin and increase blood circulation. Additionally, during a hammam massage treatment your body will be massaged by hand; your spa professional will deliver a massage that soothes muscle tension away and relaxes both the body and the mind. 

Human touch has been a key part of the hammam spa experience for thousands of years, this is why hammam bathing is so closely associated with rejuvenation, healing and optimal health. 

‍Why Is Touching So Important To Good Health? 

Skin-to-skin touching, or person-to-person touch is important because it triggers the body to release happy chemicals in the brain. Feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins flood the body when we experience something we identify as a reward, as well as when we feel love and nurturing. These happy chemicals also help to beat back the bad stress hormone cortisol. 

The power of touch can be scientifically measured; for instance, through MRIs doctors have recorded evident changes in brain activity when a patient is being touched therapeutically. 

It has been medically established that gentle therapeutic touch can help to:

• Lower blood pressure
• Boost the immune system
• Decrease the bad stress hormone cortisol
• Release feel-good endorphins that reduce pain
• Reduce episodes of depression and irritability
• Lessen stress and tension

Simple activities like hand-holding, back-stroking, hair-caressing, and a head or body massage are all helpful in healing the body and restoring balance between our physical and emotional states — human touch is essential to overall health and wellbeing. 

‍Hammam Spa & The Touch Factor! 

For gentle, therapeutic touch Moroccan and Turkish hammam are the best. Both types of hammam cover the body from head to toe. Let’s go over how traditional Turkish hammam and Moroccan hammam can make you feel better!   

‍Hammam Body Scrubbing and Exfoliating By Hand 

During a hammam spa treatment, after you have completed the steam room or hot room experience, you will be lathered in high quality soap and scrubbed with an exfoliating mitt, as well as rinsed and cleansed with hot water. Hammam scrubbing is vigorous and firm because it needs to scrub away all the old, dead skin on your body. Your feet, legs, backside, back, tummy, hands, arms, shoulders and neck will all be scrubbed thoroughly to expose a clean, fresh layer of healthy skin. This head to toe scrubbing releases the body’s anti-stress hormone oxytocin. 

To get oxytocin circulating, physical touch is essential, this is why Moroccan and Turkish hammam treatments are so beneficial. Remember, that when you’re feeling blue that touching (i.e., hugging, hand-holding, cuddling), body scrubbing and massaging help to release oxytocin and make you feel better.   

‍Therapeutic Hammam Body Massage 

A full body massage is often part of a hammam spa experience. After the relaxing meditative stream room, then the full body wash and scrub, the massage element of hammam is key to soothing the nervous system and unknotting tight muscles and joints. Also of high importance is the touch factor of a massage treatment; human touch helps the body to release endorphins which naturally help to reduce pain and generate feelings of euphoria. 

These neurotransmitters are released when you do something that feels good, so if being massaged feels good to you, then it is time to make massage treatments a part of your personal health care plan and keep those euphoric feelings coming! Besides being able to alleviate pain, endorphins can help reduce stress and episodes of depression. 

The magical touch of hammam helps your body to release natural feel-good chemicals — find out how you can Hack Happiness With A Hammam Spa Day! 

‍Can Hammam & Therapeutic Touch Make Me Feel Better? 

Believe it or not, but many people these days are touch starved. Older people may be living alone, or isolated from family and friends due to illness or conditions aggravated by the recent Covid lockdown. Younger people may be touch starved as many youth only seem to know how to connect virtually and may live in a less physically expressive environment. 

It is well established that physical touch is good for human interactions and communication (e.g., a handshake, hug, cheek kiss), plus sustained physical touch (i.e., a hammam massage) that is therapeutic can help to improve overall health. 

Here are some indicators that are connected with being touch starved: 

• Depression and sadness
• Stress and anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Poor sleep
• Feelings of isolation
• Low satisfaction in life 
• Aches and pains in the body
• Feeling ill often 

One of the best natural remedies for being touch starved is finding ways to engage in healthy, consensual touching. A hammam spa day, massages, and other person-to-person body treatments all offer a human touch experience that is beneficial to both physical and emotional health. It is easy to be physically and emotionally disconnected in an online, digitally interactive world, but let this blog serve as a reminder that the basic tradition of human-to-human touch is fundamental to your wellbeing. 

Este Medical Group recommendation: make some element of therapeutic touch, whether it be a hammam spa massage or specialised massages, part of your regular self-care activities.  

Looking for spa services with that therapeutic touch factor? Look at the Este Spa & Hammam Birmingham hammam and massage services menu for a sensational variety of hands-on experiences. 

‍New Hammam Spa UK Announcement! 

An amazing Birmingham hammam experience is coming soon to Hagley Road in the historically rich neighbourhood of Edgbaston. Este Medical Group is bringing the happy to Birmingham with a new hammam spa facility. Este Spa & Hammam will offer both Moroccan and Turkish bath and massage treatments.  

Este Spa in Birmingham is expected to become the go-to destination for hammam spa devotees and newbies in the UK. Here’s to feeling happy at the new Este Spa & Hammam! 

More updates about our therapeutic treatments for health and wellness are coming shortly.