Attitudes to Nudity

Loving Tunisia

Went to a ‘local’ hamman last week. What an experience. Local hot spring public bathing. Really old tiled small pools. Boiling hot water from mountain springs flowing in with another cold flow. Strong mineral content in the water. Segregated areas. Womens, nearly everyone topless. 3 interconnecting rooms must have been 30 plus women and children. Like a steam room. About a dozen masseurs. You book with a particular lady. She just comes and finds you when she is ready. You are floating in hot mineral water, surrounded by every body shape. With very physical massage going on very publically around the periphery. One extremely large lady splayed on the only steps. There was no way in or out without body contact. In due course, your lady finds you and  you are grabbed and dragged to a free patch of tiling. Laid down, stripped down to your pants if you were ridiculous enough to hang onto your top. Then you are exfoliated like never before, front and back. Hot and cold water thrown over you. Followed by mud massage and repeat. It feels both luxurious and alittle abusive. But mainly just surreal. Then you are off to soak in the bath once more. No top or inhibitions left. Funnily enough as you get dressed you have to hide your lower body. Its considered very rude to flash your front bottom. No cubicals so its quite a mission. One of lifes experiences that will stay with me for ever. Apparently the mens massage was much more physical. All the stuff we had but the guys walking on their backs and contorting them. Ray only did the pool. He might risk the massage if we go again. 16 of us went from the marina. All nationalities, from America, Bosnia, Canada, Ireland and Alderney. Most of us only on nodding terms before the day out.. A great ice breaker.