3 Best Arab Baths In Granada (Personally Tested)

Why would you just go to see the ruins of an Arab Bath in Granada when you can visit a functional Arab Bath? Okay, if you’re interested in history visiting the ruins of ancient baths will be worth it.

But go to a modern Arab Bath as well though, so you can experience how the ancient baths must have been in their time. It’s a perfect way to relax after a day exploring Granada. 

Even if you’re just in Granada to visit Alhambra relaxing in a Hammam afterwards is a perfect way to end the day.

You’re not allowed to bring your phone inside the bath, so I couldn’t take any pictures of the actual baths.

What Is an Arab Bath

There used to be many Arab Baths in Granada during Muslim rule. The so-called Hammams were an important part of the culture. People would meet there to socialise but also clean and purify the body.

When the Christians conquered Andalusia they destroyed many Arab baths and closed the remaining ones.

The modern Hammams or Arab baths are purely for relaxation, they consist of pools with different temperatures and steam rooms. There’s quiet instrumental music in the background and the lights are kept in a low orange-red glow.

Most Hammams offer massages or other treatments, like exfoliation. So you can completely escape the outside world. It’s one of the best ways to relax after exploring the amazing attractions in Granada.

Best Arab Baths in Granada

Hammam Al Ándalus

Already the outside of Hammam Al Ándalus seems elegant and as soon as you enter, you know you’re going to be pampered.

When we wanted to book an appointment, the only available time slot they had on the same day was at midnight. So we booked for another day, which was no problem for us since we stayed in Granada for a week anyway.

If you’re only in Granada for a day or two, you might want to book beforehand to make sure to get an appointment on your day in Granada.

🤩 Book your visit to Hammam Al Ándalus

They offer different services, we went for “Mimma 45”. Our treatment included 45 minutes in the bath and a 45 minutes massage and it cost €85 per person. A small discount applies if you have a ticket to Alhambra.

I went to this Arabic bath after a day exploring Alhambra and it was the perfect way to relax after a day walking around in the beautiful palace complex.

You have to pay when making the booking by cash or card.

Layout Of The Bath

The waiting area already looks very nice and welcoming. When you come in, you have to sit down on a sofa and they bring a bowl and warm water for you to wash your hands. You get a cover for your shoes, so the floor in the changing rooms stays clean.

The changing room is very spacious with a few showers and toilets. They provide everything you might need, like hairdryers, hair straighteners, body lotion, face lotion and so on.

One person gets assigned to you to show you around and to be there if you have any questions. They have two hot water pools, one warm water pool, a small cold water pool and a steaming room.

There’s also a small tea area, where you can pour yourself some free tea in metal cubs (so much nicer than the plastic ones at Elvira). The decor in the whole place is stunning with candles everywhere, even in the steam room.

You can really imagine how the people bathed in times gone in this magical ambience. The water in the two hot pools was really warm, I loved it.

Massage

Since we had the 45 minutes massage, we started with the massage and went to the bathing area later. We got to choose the scent of your massage oil among four options before we were led to the massage area.

There are two different massage areas. Most massage tables are next to the shower area and some massage tables are in a separate room on the first floor. We had our massages on the first floor, it was a very quiet room.

Before the massage started they asked if we wanted a relaxing or a firm massage and if there was any body part we wanted the masseuse to focus on.

The massage was very professional, the only shame was that my masseuse skipped my feet at my full body massage. And especially a foot massage would have been great after a day spent walking.

🤩 Book your visit to Hammam Al Ándalus

Al-Haram Hammam

The outside of Al-Haram Hammam looks very exclusive, there’s a milk-glass door and you have to ring a doorbell to be let in.

They have the option to book tickets online, but it might be a bit flawed. We tried our luck at the door after it said online that there was no availability for the next few days. At the hammam, we immediately got an appointment for the following day.

At Al Haram Hammam you can choose between a public and a private circuit. We went for the private “Ritual Granada” for €80 per person.

Layout Of The bath

When we arrived for our appointment, something was wrong with the booking. The guy at the desk just kept saying there’s a problem but he didn’t elaborate.

So, we just stood there without being offered a seat or anything. After waiting around a bit without an explanation we were led into the bath area after all.

The public and private circuits both grant you access to the public area of the hammam. There are three small pools: one cold water, one hot water and one warm water pool. To be honest, I was quite surprised at how small the public area is.

In our private room, there was one very small medium-temperature water pool and a steam room. There are no steam rooms in the public area.

The pool in the private room was nice to cool down after spending some time in the steam room, but for me, it wasn’t warm enough for soaking.

Everyone gets a fruit skewer, a date and a small sweet treat. You can choose between three different tea flavours, I went for black tea with cinnamon and it was really good.

You also get a towel for your visit, but you don’t get flip-flops. So, going to the toilet during our time in the bath didn’t feel super hygienic.

Massage

We went for the biggest treatment package they offer and had a lot of different things. It started off with an exfoliation. We both got an exfoliation glove and a bowl with soapy water. We exfoliated ourselves inside the steam room and when we came out our tea was served.

Afterwards, two masseuses lightly massaged clay on our bodies while we lay on the massage tables in our room. I really liked that part, because the clay was so warm and it felt very relaxing.

Then they washed off the clay while we remained on the massage beds. So, we lay on a completely soaked towel for the massage that followed. I did not like laying on the wet towel for the massage at all, my boyfriend didn’t mind. So, I don’t know maybe I’m too fussy.

The massage itself… wasn’t that great to be honest. It was so short and only on my front. She didn’t massage my back at all.

Elvira Traditional Baths

Elvira was the first Arab bath we visited in Granada. From the outside, it didn’t look like what I expected. It’s inside a hotel and you wouldn’t know it’s a bath at all weren’t it for the poster outside. The inside waiting area also just looks like a hotel.

Anyway, I went there at the end of October and managed to book an appointment for the same evening. The guy at the reception was very friendly and helpful and explained all the options.

We went for the “relax circuit”, which includes the entrance to the bath for 75 minutes and a 30-minute massage for €50 per person. You have to pay in cash at the time of your appointment.

The only thing you need to bring is a bathing suit, you get a towel and flip-flops there.

Layout Of The Bath

The changing room reminded me a bit of gym class in school when we went to the indoor pool. So to say, not that special and relatively small.

Once changed a nice lady waited for us to show us around the bath. The bath consists of one warm water pool, one small cold water pool, a steaming room and a small area to sit down and have some tea.

It’s quite small and cosy, it looked like it was for four pairs of people maximum, since the tables had name tags and there were only four tables available.

I really liked the name tag at the table and the coathooks, so you can leave your cup and towel at your spot and find them again without any confusion.

You can get as much free tea as you want and every couple gets one bowl of fruit and one bowl of (non-vegan) chocolate. The tea tasted nice, but it would have tasted even nicer if it weren’t in a plastic cup.

The bowl of fruit is a really nice gesture and a perfect snack after or before a proper vegan dinner in Granada.

The warm water pool could be a bit warmer. It’s nice and warm when you first get in but then you get used to it and it feels a bit chilly.

The cold water pool is only for hardcore cold-water-loving people. I only managed to go in for a few seconds.

My favourite place in the bath was the steaming room, even though I usually don’t like humid heat that much. It had a very nice temperature and smelled of eucalyptus.

Massage

The massage tables are located in the main room of the bath. We had the last possible appointment for our massage, so the bath was already empty except for us and so it was quiet.

Even though you should be quiet in the bath anyway, I can imagine that it can get a bit loud if the bath is full of people. We only heard the soft music in the background and the water trickle down, which was very relaxing.

After spending some time in the bath, they told us that it was time for our massage. So, I think that’s the usual way, bath first massage later. This means, however, that you wear your wet bathing suit for the massage. I thought that would be a bit uncomfortable, but actually, it was alright.

The massage itself was very soft, to me, it sometimes felt like the masseuse was just stroking me, to Jack, it sometimes felt like his masseuse was tickling him. To be fair, we did not ask for a firmer massage, we weren’t asked either though.

What to bring to an Arab bath Granada?

For all the Arab baths in Granada we visited, we only had to bring a bathing suit and nothing else.

FAQ about Granada Baths

Final thoughts: My favourite Granada Arab baths

I enjoyed our evenings in all the Arab baths in Granada. It’s a perfect way to relax after a day spent exploring Alhambra or the city of Granada. But ultimately there’s only one winner for me: Hammam Al Ándalus. The whole experience was wonderful.

I loved the atmosphere with candles everywhere, the hot water pool was really nice and warm and the steaming room with candles inside was amazing. Even the changing room was so elegant and welcoming.

It was expensive but it was worth it. And even though the massage was very good, I would recommend going there just for the bath if you’re short on cash.

🤩 Book your visit to Hammam Al Ándalus

On a side note, we also visited an Arab bath in Malaga and we enjoyed both Arab baths in Granada more than the one in Malaga. This is just one of the reasons why I prefer Granada over Malaga.

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