Cloth, Water, Touch // Mémoires de Hammam
A sensory & textile ritual with Ghitta Laskrouif (@ghittastudio) × Heartspace Commons
An intimate, restoring afternoon inside the historic baths and gardens of La Grande Mosquée de Paris, bridging textile memory, water ritual, and ancestral care.
Textiles hold the memory of our rituals, and the hammam is one of the most precious traditions passed down through generations. Guided by textile artist Ghitta Laskrouif, we gather in an intimate circle to revive memories of a mother’s, grandmother’s, or aunt’s hammam rituals, translating them through color and needlework onto the Zif Hayati (زيف حياتي) – the traditional fine cotton scarf emblematic of bath and wrapping ceremonies.
We will first gather in the gardens where each participant will embroider their own personal keepsake piece and contribute a stitch, word, or symbol to a shared communal Hayati textile scroll that will live in our ongoing archive, before we transition together into the heat, marble, and steam of the baths.
Strictly capped at 10 places.
The Flow
15h00 – 15h30 // Sensory Welcome & Grounding
Traditional fresh mint tea, Moroccan sweets, ritual anointing with orange blossom water (el zhar), rose petals, fresh citrus, and a gentle moment of centering.
15h30 – 17h30 // Zif Hayati Memory & Embroidery Circle with Ghitta
The Personal Keepsake: Guided stitching on your own fine cotton gauze Zif Hayati scarf using archival threads and personal symbols to take home.
The Communal Tapestry: Each participant adds a word, phrase, or stitch to a long collective Hayati fabric scroll, weaving our lineages into a shared communal archive.
17h30 – 19h30 // Hammam Immersion & Water Care
Full access to the marble chambers, hot baths, and steam rooms of La Grande Mosquée for unhurried rest, somatic unburdening, and water ritual.
What Your Reservation Includes
4.5 hours of dedicated access to the private lounge and baths at the Hammam of the Grande Mosquée de Paris.
Your embroidered textile piece to keep: An individual cut of Zif Hayati (traditional unbleached North African cotton gauze) stitched with your personal memory during the afternoon.
All workshop materials provided on-site: Full access during the gathering to our curated palette of embroidery threads, needles, and wooden hoops.
Guided facilitation: Gentle stitch, storytelling, and technique guidance led by Ghitta Studio and Heartspace Commons (completely beginner-friendly; zero prior sewing experience required).
Hospitality table: Continuous fresh Moroccan mint tea, traditional pastries, and botanical infusions (rose and orange blossom waters).
Intimacy: Strictly capped at 10 seats to protect the quiet and collective presence of the circle.
Practical Details & What to Bring
Date & Time: Saturday, 21 November · 15h30 – 19h00
Location: Hammam de La Grande Mosquée de Paris (5th arrondissement)
What to bring: A swimsuit or underwear for the hammam ritual (one-piece or two-piece), a bath towel or fouta and a change of clothes, non-slip bath sandals/flip-flops, and comfortable clothes to sit and stitch in during the garden circle.
Circle: Held for women and non-binary kin. No prior sewing or embroidery experience necessary.
Reservations
Single Reservation: €85
Companion / Duo Reservation (2 spots): €155 (bring a friend, mother, or sister)
Strictly limited to 10 participants. Due to the intimate capacity and material preparation, reservations are non-refundable but transferable to another guest.