The kessa glove
It is a glove woven from natural fibre, rough to the touch but not abrasive. In the hammams of Morocco, Turkey and all of North Africa, it is the basic instrument of body care. It is not a modern invention or a marketing product. It is a tool with centuries of daily use that has reached the present because it works better than any industrial alternative.
The glove works by mechanical friction on damp, warm skin. It sweeps away the dead cells of the superficial layer of the epidermis, activates the microcirculation of the area and exposes a new layer of skin that normally stays hidden under weeks of build-up.
The black soap
Moroccan savon noir is made from olive oil and black olives macerated with salt and potash. It is a dark, dense, soapy paste applied to damp skin before using the glove. Its function is twofold: it softens the outer layer of the skin to make exfoliation easier, and it provides a base of hydration rich in vitamin E.
It does not smell like a cosmetic. It smells of something earthy, vegetal, real. It is an artisanal product whose composition has barely changed in centuries.
Why the steam matters
Exfoliation is multiplied when the skin has been exposed to hot steam. The humid heat opens the pores, hydrates the superficial layers of the epidermis and leaves them soft and receptive. That is why the steam room of the hammam is not an add-on — it is essential preparation.
In our Arab baths, we recommend spending at least ten minutes in the steam room before the exfoliation. The difference between exfoliating cold skin and skin prepared by steam is the difference between sanding and polishing.
The result
You will notice it instantly. Running your hand over any exfoliated area, the texture is completely different. The skin responds differently to touch — soft, smooth, without that roughness you had normalised. The tone is more even. The luminosity, more evident. And the moisturisers you apply afterwards penetrate with an effectiveness they did not have before.