Atlas Beauty Hammam Spa

Atlas Beauty Hammam Spa in Peabody works in the Moroccan tradition, which the name signals directly — the Atlas Mountains run through Morocco, and the hammam is the North African and Middle Eastern bathhouse.

A hammam differs from a Finnish sauna in almost every respect. The heat is wet rather than dry and lower in temperature, delivered as steam in a tiled chamber rather than as radiant heat from stones. The practice is longer and more involved, built around washing and scrubbing rather than around the heat alone. And it is fundamentally a cleaning ritual: the heat opens the skin so it can be worked.

The central treatment is the gommage — a vigorous exfoliation with a kessa glove and black soap, performed by an attendant. Guests unfamiliar with it are frequently startled by how thorough it is, and equally startled by the result. Rhassoul clay, mined in the Atlas, is often applied afterwards.

Peabody sits on the North Shore near Salem and Danvers, with straightforward parking off Route 128.

Traditional hammam treatments are booked as appointments rather than open access. Ask what the treatment involves if it is your first.