HOW DID MY FRIEND PETULIA DEAL with the hustle-bustle of Palermo? She stepped off the street into this luxurious and relaxing hammam for a few hours.

It’s a dreamy callback to Palermo’s Arabic past. In the ninth century, Moors from North Africa conquered Sicily, bringing their sophisticated culture to the city, which included the hammam, or what we call a Turkish bath. The Moors were shocked to see what the Romans were doing: “Bathing in their own filth!” Their cleaning style was a more intimate set-up of heated rooms, where they’d splash themselves with water, then scrub their skin and get massaged with perfumed oils.

This hammam has received rave reviews for giving visitors the calming pleasures of that thousand-plus year-old tradition. It was designed by Andre Benaim, a Florentine who’s internationally famous for his theater sets. He stuck to the classic cozy set-up, putting a sleek, magical spin on it. There are lots of candles surrounding two octagonal-shaped heated rooms of shiny white marble. One is domed with red brick and has openings that filter in a pale light. Between splashing yourself, you lounge around on warm marble slabs, going from the tepidarium, to the hotter, steamier calidarium. It’s great for clearing up the respiratory system, sweating out toxins and stress, and getting your skin all set for a perfect tan. The pro staff sets you up with pretty water buckets, olive-oil soap, and a scrubbing mitt. All kinds of massages are available—from “comfort soul” to shiatsu.

In keeping with the Moslem way, the hammam is open on separate days for men and women. Over a thousand years ago, when the tradition started, women couldn’t get near these places. That changed soon enough, and the bath became the prime spot for gals to socialize, as they could rarely leave the house. Mothers would go to check out prospective daughters-in-law, even kissing them so they could warn their son if the woman had bad breath. The hammam was especially popular in Turkey, where women would throw off their veils, smoke, laugh, and put on makeup. If a husband denied his wife the chance to go, she legally had grounds for divorce.

The scene is not at all as rowdy in this Palermo hammam. The experience ends in the relaxing room, where you curl up on colorful Moroccan pillows and get served herbal tea and sweets made with local honey.

Hammam: Via Torrearsa 17/d, 091 320783, www.hammam.pa.it. Women only days: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thursday is a mixed day, Tuesday is men only. Massages are available for both men and women any day of the week.