I feel like a parent! I'm 'hamster-sitting' for some friends while they travel! Takes me back to when I was a wee little lad and I had my very own hamster named Bud. It was a surprise birthday gift! I have this little guy for a week. Looking forward to lots of playtime 
The Hammam
Well, I went to a hammam this weekend. A hammam is a public bath and oh so
cultural. I went with an american buddy to one just around the corner from
where I live. First, I had to buy a mitt. This mitt is used to scrape off dead
skin cells. Its some sort of material, but feels like sandpaper. You
typically bring your own soap,shampoo,mitt, and towel. It cost about a buck
to get in.
The first room is a changing room. You get down to your skibbies and then
you go in to the bath area. Its more like a sauna than anything. There are 3
rooms, increasing in temperature. So the first room is hot, the next is
hotter, and the third is hottest. The rooms are just tiled floor. The middle
room has the hot and cold water taps. I think the water is heated by wood
fine and it comes out really hot.
There are also tons of buckets around. So you grab a couple of buckets,
fill them with hot water, and then some cold, and you pick a spot out in one
of the rooms. There are no chairs or benches, you just rinse down a section
of the floor (to remove anyone else's dead skin remains) and sit down.
There is also a man who can scrub you down with the mit or you can do it
yourself. It being my first time, I thought I would get the 'works'. My
friend went first. This very large man comes over, puts on 'the mitt' and
goes to work. He does one side at a time. So your first position is on your
back then your side, then your stomach, then your other side, then you sit
up and he does our face and neck. As he scrubs, my friend's face begins to
wince. I have no doubt that this gentleman could have removed all his skin
if he put his weight into it. His skin turns bright red and his face starts
to look weird as if he's in excruciating pain. By the time he finishes, I'm
a bit scared. My friend is glowing red.
I'm next, and I decide to have the scrubbing done in the hottest room. My
theory was that maybe the sweat will give the mitt a little bit of lube so it
won't hurt as much. It must have worked, because it was actually really
enjoyable. I don't know if he took it easy on me or what, but it felt good
to remove all that dead skin. He scrubs about everywhere, so unfortunately,
he scrubs your bum before your face. But after he gets done scrubbing, He
soaped me up, and washed me down to remove any left over dead skin. The
scrubbing and soaping cost about 4 bucks. I felt so good afterwards and my
skin so soft. I plan on going back. But there is no time limit on staying
there. You can stay as long as you like and use as much water as you like.
Men usually only go once or twice a month, but I hear women usually go once
or twice a week.
It was an overall enjoyable experience.
