Products are independently selected by our editors. We may earn an affiliate commission from links. As someone who is deeply attached to their creature comforts, the notion seemed a little too austere for my liking: conjuring images of too-pale wisp-thin women shuffling around some gloomy Alpine resort in white robes and shower slides, IV vitamin drips dangling from their arms.
Basically, not my idea of fun. Still, take that concept somewhere warmer, somewhere rich with cultureβsomewhere like Morocco , sayβand you just might be able to convince me otherwise. The recently launched wellness retreat at the Royal Mansour Marrakech ticks all those boxes. Originally conceived as a preparation for prayer, the bathing tradition became popular across the region in the s and remains something of a weekly ritual for many Moroccan families to this day. To be clear, the resort itself is basically a palace, built with all the kind of regal North African trimmings you would expect: marble floors, lace-embedded plaster, intricate wooden ceilings carved by hand I was not surprised to discover that it took 1, local artists to bring to life.
The property is like a very luxurious medina all of its own, with individual riads in place of the traditional hotel suite. But the spa is essentially the jewel in the crown here, tucked away in a citrus grove with a lofty, birdcage-style atrium. There are three types of wellness retreats on offer, ranging from three days to a full day immersion, and all with suitably seductive if nebulous names: rebalance, rejuvenation, and immunity boost.
We take a full inventory of my daily eating habits. Later that afternoon, I breathe an audible sigh of relief when my seafood and watercress salad lunch is served with a delicious portion of chocolate banana mousse.
The highlight of day one, however, is undoubtedly the hammam. It takes everything in my power not to fall asleep. The body mask is then applied at the same time as an exfoliating face treatment, a combination of argan oil and sesame paste. It goes without saying that, in addition to the hammam, the spa at the Royal Mansour has an extensive list of services to rival just about any in the world. That same afternoon I also experience my first chi nei tsang massage, a centuries-old abdominal massage technique that bills itself as deeply detoxifying, but is also surprisingly calming even for someone with a delicate tummy like me.
