I had visited some Arabic Baths while we were in Ronda and found out that we had running, functioning baths in Granada. So this past weekend I went with a few of my girlfriends to one of the Arabic Baths in the Albyzin. It was an extremely relaxing and neat experience. From the moment we stepped in to the building it felt as though we had taken a step back in time :)
The baths are located on a site where actual baths were located, but have been renovated in recent years. The baths go in to the side of the mountain and you definitely feel like you're in a cave while you're in there. We changed in to our bathing suits and were escorted in to the baths themselves. There were three baths (jacuzzis) one hot, one warm and one cold. We had an hour and a half to alternate between baths and sit in the sauna. I was originally a little nervous about the sauna, but it turned out to be my favorite part of the experience, it was very relaxing. My allergies have been going haywire, and the steam turned me in to a new person!
Throughout the baths they had cinnamon burning and it smelled amazing! The baths were decorated in complete arabic style, with arabic tiling similar to the Alhambra, skylights that resembled those in the authentic baths and candle-light. After we were finished in the baths we each received a very nice massage.
As we left the baths it was hard for us to fathom a life where this would have been a weekly, and sometimes daily, experience. During the winter months, the baths were one of the only places someone could go to get warm and get out of the cold. If I had visited the baths during the winter, I don't think I would have ever left. It was a very relaxing experience and I fully believe we should all experience arabic baths once a week :)
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