Hammam Spa by Céla Expands to Marrakesh

Beauty rituals.

Writer Allie Turner

Since Céla began in Toronto two years ago, it has taken Canada, and indeed the rest of the world, by storm. Founder Celine Tadrissi began creating the 13-product skin-care line in the kitchen of her first Hammam Spa, which she has owned and operated since 2005 in a King Street West heritage building in Toronto’s fashion district. After the (heavenly smelling) all-natural range hit the market last year, it quickly captured the attention of Canadian beauty fans. Oprah was also impressed, including the seed-to-skin and coffee scrubs among her favourite things for self-care packages. All the positive attention allowed Tadrissi to expand her spa practices, introduce new rituals using her own products, and create a Hammam Spa by Céla in North York. Now it seems that Tadrissi is gearing up for global domination as she sets her sights on Morocco.

Hammams are Turkish bathing houses associated with the Ottoman Empire and are places of social gathering and ritual. The warm, inviting, and intricately tiled spaces cater to a culture of health and wellness that is part of everyday life in the Middle East and North Africa. Tadrissi has always been drawn to the concept of people incorporating beauty rituals into their routines and the prioritization of wellness as ordinary. She has taken this philosophy and injected it with Canadian botanicals and a contemporary take on ancient design to create a treatment that caught the interest of Mandarin Oriental in Marrakesh.

The Céla Seed to Skin Ritual exfoliates, nourishes, and moisturizes skin using all-Canadian botanicals in an exquisitely designed Hammam spa environment.

The process of hammam is meant to be performed at least once a week as a ritual-based body treatment involving steaming, scrubbing, and massaging the skin until it glows.

In the coming months Hammam Spa by Céla is creating a new experience for the Mandarin Oriental informed by Canadian protocols and is training the hotel’s spa therapists, who will continue the practice permanently. Céla products will also available at the spa in the months following.

The collaboration between Céla and Mandarin Oriental is the start of a globally inclusive approach to the spa industry that honours traditions in a way accessible to cosmopolites. Céla’s approach to organically and sustainably sourced botanicals aligns with hammam tradition. Also, Emmanuelle Bellec, spa director of Mandarin Oriental, believes that Tadrissi’s treatments are relatable and transferable to Moroccan people.

With every passing season and product launch, Canada continues to carve out an identity as a global skin-care contender. Canadian beauty brands are influencing wellness practices worldwide. Where will we crop up next? Something to keep an eye on.