This review covers Rituals’ five body care products under the Hammam line which falls under the category Refreshing Rituals. The sequence of the products here follows the five-step ritual outlined in my
previous Hammam post.
1. Hammam Olive Secret 
Description: Ultra moisturizing shower paste (with fresh eucalyptus & pure olive)
Volume and Price: 150ml for €8.50
Function: To start off the ritual, the skin needs to be primed for a good scrubbing. The olive oil helps to nourish the skin and the eucalyptus gives off a refreshing scent.
Info on packaging: Discover the 2 secrets of our ultra moisturizing shower paste:
Secret 1:
moisturizing shower gel, for daily use: Pure olive nourishes and lends an exceptional softness to your skin. Eucalyptus refreshes and cleanses your skin.
Secret 2:
traditional hammam scrub, use 2/3 times a week: Take a hot shower, prepare your body for peeling & cover it with Olive Secret. Rinse off, scrub with hammam scrub glove for ultimate smooth effect.
Contents: Thick, slightly yellow-green gel
Scent: The top note is the refreshing eucalyptus scent. This is quickly followed by a very raw and earthy lingering scent.
Performance: It is basically, as Rituals says, a shower gel. About a marble-sized amount is enough. It doesn’t work up a lot of lather and after rinsing, it leaves behind a very thin film of oil on the skin. The skin does feel soft, fresh and clean, and smelling rather earthy.
Further thoughts: I’m not a big fan of the lingering raw earthy scent. So, to be fair, it’s not the product. It’s just me. I love the top note with the eucalyptus scent though. That first whiff plays a big part in creating the illusion that I’ve entered a spa. The shower gel works great under a very hot shower. The steam from the hot shower helps to recreate the harara (hot room) effect in my own bathroom. The steam helps to open up my pores in preparation for the next step, the
Hammam Hot Scrub, or just a scrub with the scrub glove. I would repurchase just so that I can follow this ritual to a tee. 8.0/10 rating.
2. Hammam Hot Scrub 
Description: Sea salt body scrub (with warming ginger & fresh eucalyptus)
Weight and Price: 250g for €14.90
Function: Scrubbing is one of the essential elements of body cleansing in the Hammam ritual. The nourishing oils and pure sea salt ensures a thorough cleansing of the skin. The warming effects of eucalyptus and ginger give the skin a warm and refreshing feel.
Info on packaging: A unique combination of nourishing natural oils & pure exfoliating sea salt. Contains the natural ingredients ginger and eucalyptus to provide your skin with a dazzling hot after feel. Instantly relieves fatigue and lifts your mood.
Contents: A high density mix of coarse crystal grains in a thick green oily substance.
Scent: A dominant eucalyptus fragrance mixed in with a lemony scent. An undertone with a slightly spicy scent of ginger can be detected.
Performance: The sea salt grains are large and rough enough for a good exfoliation. The body gets simultaneously covered in a layer of nourishing oils. The more scrubbing, the warmer the skin becomes which in turn melts away the grains of sea salt. The scent of eucalyptus is dominant, keeping alive the illusion of being in a spa.
Further thoughts: The grains of sea salt allows for a good exfoliation, but if a vigorous scrub is what one’s after (because in traditional hammams, they scrub to literally shed skin!), then I think the scrub glove that came in the
Your Mini Hammam giftbox works better. I’m very impressed with the natural oils that just sits on the skin. I can almost hear my skin sighing with joy from the nourishment! I would repurchase. 9.0/10 rating.
3. Hammam Delight 
Description: Foaming shower gel sensation (with fresh eucalyptus & rosemary)
Volume and Price: 200ml for €7.25
Function: This shower gel is meant for washing away all the dirt (and worries), giving the body a very liberating feeling. Experience the real Hammam sensation through the rosemary and the refreshing eucalyptus. This could be the gentlest shower you’ve ever had, says Rituals.
Info on packaging: Foaming shower gel sensation
Contents: Clear colourless gel
Scent: Strong scent of eucalyptus with a sweetish undertone.
Performance: According to Rituals, the gel turns into foam upon contact with water. From my
experience, the gel instantly becomes foam because as soon as the gel leaves the pressurised container, it interacts with moisture in the air. It was therefore impossible for me to take a photo of the contents in gel form. A little goes a long way, again only a marble-sized amount of gel was enough to work up a rich foam. The scent of eucalyptus with a slightly sweet background is very present. It’s refreshing.
Further thoughts: When rinsing off, I didn’t rub my skin too much as I didn’t want to lose whatever oils that remained on my skin from the
Hammam Hot Scrub. I can’t say that this step was such a unique experience but the fragrance is its plus point. It would have been just a regular shower gel if not for its very refreshing scent. I wouldn’t mind repurchasing for this ritual. 7.5/10 rating.
4. Hammam Body Mud 
Description: Nourishing shower mud (with purifying China clay & fresh eucalyptus)
Volume and Price: 200ml for €14.90
Function: This is for the relaxation stage of the ritual. Wrap the body with Hammam luxury. Relax and let the skin absorb the ultra nourishing mask.
Info on packaging: Renew your body and use this unique shower mud to nourish and lightly scrub your skin. Pure China clay removes dead skin cells and skin impurities. Soothing oils have a relaxing and softening effect on your skin. The ritual: massage a thin layer on wet skin, leave on for 2 minutes, rinse off in shower or soak off slowly while taking a bath.
Contents: Grey paste with very fine granules
Scent: Again the unmissable scent of eucalyptus with a touch of mint and an earthy scent. I’m still in the spa!
Performance: The paste spreads easily. I was conscious of the granules but they weren’t harsh on the skin at all. I wasn’t sure how “thin” the layer should be, so I felt on the amount of granules on my skin to have
an indication of how much paste was needed. I believe about three marble-sized amounts were enough. The earthy scent didn’t have a raw edge to it like in the
Hammam Olive Secret, so it was fine.
Further thoughts: For someone who’s never been into body muds before, I find this product very interesting and soothing. I hope the novelty will never wear off. True to its purpose, it is indeed very relaxing. Skin feels very soft and despite the dominant eucalyptus scent in all the four products, the body is left smelling rather earthy with only a slight hint of eucalyptus. 9.0/10 rating.
5. Touch of Hammam 
Description: Whipped body cream, ultra rich (with fresh fig & rice milk)
Volume and Price: 200ml for €14.50
Function: Touch and gentle care concludes this Hammam ritual. The rich body cream based on rice milk nourishes the skin and the exclusive scent of fresh figs is a lasting reminder of the Hammam experience.
Info on packaging: Rich creamy texture nourishes and firms your skin. Our unique whipped cream technology guarantees a smooth application. The natural ingredient rice milk provides you with an exceptional soft skin and fresh fig delicately perfumes your body. Unique formula contains anti-oxidants, vitamin E and the firming agent Centella Asiatica.
Contents: Very thick white cream
Scent: A heavy, full-bodied and sweet Oriental scent. I think some people may find it overwhelming initially, but it mellows to become a rather musky woody scent.
Performance: The body cream is indeed thick but spreadable. Its moisturising properties are above average. On the ingredients list, I read also sunflower seed oil, sweet almond oil and peanut oil.
Further thoughts: After the ever-present eucalyptus scent of the four prior steps in this ritual, it can be a minor shock to the olfactories with this sudden sweet scent of figs. However, I always find myself looking forward to Step 5 when I’m done with the body mud. It’s the scent, oh the scent! I love it! Yes, I would repurchase. 9.0/10 rating.
Final thoughts overall: There’s something therapeutic about the scent of eucalyptus, isn’t it? The scent not only clears the respiratory airways but it also clears the mind, I feel.
I find this ritual quite an indulgence, something that I’m not accustomed to. Before discovering the Hammam ritual, showering was just showering without the frills. Indulgence. That is essentially the philosophy of Rituals. It’s all about self-pampering and making time for yourself. Speaking of time, it took me about 20 minutes to get from Step 1 to Step 4. It would take longer if you wish to soak off the body mud in a leisurely bath.
The Hammam line is a hit with the Dutch, if the feedback that I've read is anything to go by. I've checked out Dutch forums and about 90 - 95% of the users give 5-star ratings. It’s quite an experience, this Hammam ritual. I highly recommend that you try it out too!
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Eve’s Kiss. What an evocative name! Rituals Cosmetics explains (excerpts):
L: Hand Therapy – scrubs & nourishes & softens (with ginseng & ginkgo biloba)
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