No need to travel to another continent to experience an authentic Turkish bath.

Northeast Columbus is home to Moroccan Steam Spa and Turkish Bath, which has introduced the traditional practice that has a direct link to the public baths of Rome, to visitors of the business.

“It’s something very traditional in my country,” says Naouel Tai, a Moroccan native and owner of the business. “I used to work for a long time in a spa in my country.

“And I thought I’d like to share the experience with my American clients.”

The spa’s website outlines the several steps of the Turkish bath or classic hammam, which begins with the visitor dressed in a body towel in the steam room.

This step acclimates the body to the heat, Tai explains.

The second step detoxifies the body by way of rubbing the skin with an organic black olive soap.

Next, the practitioner puts on a special exfoliating glove, or kese, to remove the dead skin before rinsing the body with lukewarm water from the fountain.

The clean, fresh layer of skin is then rubbed with argan or olive oil.

Finally, clients move to the relaxation room where they can enjoy tea or juice and snacks.

“Because the hammam is a combination between a massage and a body treatment, it’s good for your energy and it’s also good for your muscles and your skin,” Tai says. “So the combination between the heat and the water and the massage, it’s very beneficial for your body.

“It’s also good for tight muscles because of the steam and the way we scrub the skin and take off all of the dead skin, makes your skin very fresh.”

Tai says she is rewarded by the good she does for her clients.

“I like to do something very special for them,” she adds.

The spa serves both sexes and couples.

“They get the treatment together and enjoy the relaxation together,” Tai quips. “It’s something very unique and very, very relaxing.”

In addition to the Turkish bath, the spa offers a variety of facial treatments, ranging from peels and microdermabrasion to the Sultan facial for men.

Tai offers some very unique massages, as well.

The Reflexology Plantar focuses on the feet and is said to be beneficial to those who suffer from foot pain.

According to the website’s description of the treatment, massaging a reflex zone on the foot stimulates the corresponding organ, gland, or body part, resulting in increased blood, nerve, and lymph circulation.

And, then, there’s cupping therapy. Anyone who watched international swimming great Michael Phelps during his competitions last year during the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro may recall the purple spots on the athlete’s body. It was the practice of cupping that left the marks.

It’s a form of alternative medicine in which cups are placed on the skin to create suction, the website explains.

Increased local blood supply to the muscles and skin will bring nourishment and allow for toxins to be carried away via the lymph.

The practice is said to treat conditions of chronic and acute pain, in addition to tense muscles.