Aching muscles? Tired limbs? You need a holiday! Soothe away the stresses and strains of life with a long bath…come to Córdoba and experience the secrets of the Hammam – the only way to bathe in Spain!
A weekend away on a city break with a difference – supplement the sightseeing and shopping with a trip to the baths - the Arabic Hamman – and be pummeled and polished with style…a holiday to relax, revive and rejuvenate…
Springtime in southern Spain
Córdoba is unmissable in Springtime.
April: the hectic Easter rituals, processions passion and prayer, incense and candles mingle with the sublime scent of Orange Blossom – azahar – as the first flowers unfurl for Spring and Santa Semana.
Around the Alcazar..
May brings the Córdoba Patio Festival – that wonderful time where the secret inner courtyards of the city are thrown open for admiration and inspection. The early Spring heat of the pavements open onto gardens and terraces, courtyards and corners full of well tended plants and flowers – a public viewing of private spaces- a gardeners dream!
Vibrant geraniums with giant flowers, citrus blossom, lush palms, trickling fountains – the Arabic love of water as a key feature and as a fixture.
colour and scent - no weeds here!
The thinking set
Córdoba has always been a cultured place. Home to the bohemian set for generations, the poets, writers, and philosophers have their own roots firmly dug in here. To rest their weary brain cells and aching joints a form of relaxing and also socialising was upheld in the city baths – the Hammams.
Once there were over 600 Hammams, and more than 3000 Mosques in this area of Spaìn - the Umayado – that was the Muslim Dynasty from Damascus who made their Caliphate in the city of Córdoba, ruling the Kingdom of al-Andalus until 1031. Before the Arabs of course there were the Romans, but you don´t have to be Cleopatra or even bathe in Asp´s milk to enjoy the same experience today! Peel me another grape!
Today you can enjoy the same experience – it´s like no other Spa visit you may have enjoyed previously. Pay a visit to the al-Andalus Hammam, situated on Corregidor Luis de la Cerda, also known as the Medina Califal baths – they are the biggest in Europe. You can choose from various packages, which include massage and a choice of the different purifying baths. Prices range from €23 to €61 depending on which treatment you choose…
relaxation
Low candles, iron lanterns, walls washed in dusky rose and terracotta, a hushed - almost reverent – cathedral-like atmosphere….
inside the inner sanctum of the Hammam
The normal session involves various levels, where you start with a cold bath in a long narrow stone tank, followed by tepid relaxation pools. Massage follows with essential oils – you choose which oils you want – and allow yourself to be kneaded back into shape. Muscles are soothed and feet – or in my case, hooves – are buffed and softened. More warm water therapy follows, and finally a cold plunge to close pores. Brrr!
Round the experience off with refreshing mint tea sipped from gilded glasses, and explore the attached bazaar. Choose from the range of natural soaps, essential blended oils and candles on offer to buy – souvenirs perhaps?
Opening hours of the Hammam:
Open 4 sessions daily -
- 10:00 – 12:00
- 14:00 – 16:00
- 18:00 – 20:00
- 22:00 – 24:00
To book by telephone call in advance 00 34 957 484 746 or 00 34 902 333 334.
Enter from the suffused light and intimate atmosphere back to the busy streets of the city, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, perhaps just in time for a little evening shopping Córdoba style! Or just laze away the evening at a pavement café, sipping sherry and sampling tapas…
Córdoba Cafe
If you ache just reading this then it´s time to take the plunge and book your holiday in Spain this Spring! Rent superb accommodation from the owners, see if a special place in Córdoba is here for you from this list of rentals…whether you choose a city pad or a country residence, remember to take a trip to the Hammam!
