A kese is a woven cloth mitt that exfoliates soaked skin with water alone. A loofah is a sponge used with soap to lather. A body scrub is a product with gritty particles that you rub in and rinse off. A Korean Italy towel is a small viscose mitt used much like a kese. They all remove dead skin by friction, but they differ in what they are, when you use them and whether you need to keep buying them.
Body exfoliators compared
| Tool | What it is | How it's used | Needs a product? | Reusable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kese (Turkish) | Coarse woven cloth mitt from the Turkish hammam | On soaked, damp skin, before any soap | No, water only | Yes |
| Kessa glove (Moroccan) | Textured glove from the Moroccan hammam | On steamed skin, traditionally after black soap | Traditionally used with black soap | Yes |
| Italy towel (Korean) | Small viscose mitt from Korean bathhouses | On soaked skin, usually without soap | No | Yes |
| Loofah | Dried luffa gourd, or a plastic mesh pouf | With soap or shower gel, to lather and lightly scrub | Yes, soap or gel | Yes, but it needs replacing regularly |
| Body scrub | Cream, gel or oil with gritty particles such as sugar or salt | Rubbed onto wet skin, then rinsed off | It is the product | No, the jar runs out |
| Dry brush | Firm-bristled brush | On dry skin, before a shower | No | Yes |
What makes a kese different?
A kese is used before soap, not with it. The skin is soaked in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, the mitt is wrung out until damp, and the scrub is done away from the running water. Because the mitt needs grip, soap and oil are left for afterwards. It is the method used in Turkish hammams, where a bath attendant called a tellak does the scrub.
Is a kese the same as a Korean Italy towel?
They are close relatives. Both are woven mitts used on soaked skin without soap. The Italy towel comes from Korean bathhouse culture and is usually a small, flat viscose mitt; its name comes from the Italian viscose fabric it was first made from. The kese comes from the Turkish hammam and is traditionally a larger mitt that covers the whole hand.
Is a kese the same as a Moroccan kessa glove?
The names share a root and the tools are similar. The main difference is the ritual around them. In a Moroccan hammam the kessa glove is traditionally used after the skin has been coated with black soap. In a Turkish hammam the kese is used on skin softened by water and steam alone, and the soap comes afterwards.
Kese or loofah?
They do different jobs. A loofah is for washing: it builds lather and gives a light scrub at the same time. A kese is for a dedicated scrub about once a week. Many people use both, a kese for the weekly scrub and soap with hands, cloth or sponge for everyday washing.
Kese or body scrub?
A body scrub exfoliates with particles suspended in a cream, gel or oil, and it often leaves a scent or a moisturizing film. A kese has no ingredients and nothing to run out; you rinse it, hang it up and use it again. Which you prefer comes down to whether you want a product on your skin or just water.
Which one should you choose?
- You want a thorough weekly scrub with no product: a kese, a kessa glove or an Italy towel.
- You want lather for daily washing: a loofah or washcloth.
- You want scent and a moisturizing feel: a body scrub.
- You have sensitive or easily irritated skin: start gently, use light pressure and leave more time between scrubs. Don't exfoliate broken, sunburned or irritated skin with any of these tools, and check with your doctor if you have a skin condition.
These are all physical exfoliators. Chemical exfoliants such as AHAs and BHAs work differently, by loosening dead skin instead of rubbing it away.
Want to try the Turkish method? Read How to Use a Kese Mitt at Home, or see the Tellak Hammam Exfoliating Mitt.