Hamams have been a crucial feature of cities across the arab world for centuries. They were intended as places to cleanse and purify the body before going to prayer, writes Catherine pengulnes. Hamams are strictly segregated by gender, but everything takes place in a central chamber in front of all the other customers. For the economist, the sing process can feel very harsh. The body is sometimes aggressively foliated. Hair and body are washed together, and very little attention is paid to western notions of modesty or privacy.