The treatment room for the Massage Oriental Traditionnel (50 minutes, £37) at The Spa by Terraké, Kenzi Menara Palace, was dark, lit only by candles.
First, my therapist, Wafa, poured warm argan oil infused with vetiver onto the back of my legs and began to knead my calf muscles, using her thumbs to press into areas of tightness. Within a very short time, I was deeply relaxed, both from the massage and because I felt confident that Wafa was going to deliver the type of massage that I wanted. Wafa was deceptively petite but turned out to have very strong hands and she was able to deliver a firm massage.
Wafa spent some time working on my buttock muscles. (You need to abandon any sense of modesty when having body treatments in Morocco.)
On my back, Wafa again used her thumbs to press deep into tight muscles. Wonderful. Where there was most tension, between my shoulder blades, she rubbed her hands vigorously across my skin, to produce intense heat through friction. She then pressed deep into the warmed muscles to release them, which was highly effective. Wafa then stood next to my waist, held the top of my shoulders, and pulled them quite strongly down towards her; this gave a most fantastic stretch through my lower neck.
Wafa then worked on the tension in the front of my legs and also around my ankles and feet. She circled each toe, then gently pulled it, producing a clicking sound and a feeling of looseness in each one.
The chest and stomach massage involved pressing into points next to my ribcage which felt slightly tender. Fortunately, I was soon covered up again!
Wafa placed a hot compress under my neck to further loosen the muscles while she performed a wonderful massage on my face with the palms of her hands. She used intense pressure on my scalp with her fingers, finally gently pulling small bunches of my hair to release tension.
By this point, I was so deeply relaxed that I barely noticed when Wafa left the room. She returned after a few minutes and helped me to sit up and into my orange robe. She led me outside to a seating area where bottled water and tea were waiting for me. After rehydrating, I wandered through to the indoor pool area and lay on one of the loungers awhile to enjoy my relaxation haze.
Try this treatment if: you want to feel unknotted from top to toe.
Get in touch
Call: + 212 524 45 99 00
Email: [email protected]
Web: Kenzi Menara Palace
Super Spy
29th April 2014
Spy Likes:
Length size pools; strong swan pipes; seriously deep tissue massages; beautiful views from outside thermal experiences.
Spy Dislikes:
Sniffing therapists; cold treatment rooms; hard sell on products.
