Spa spy: the Royal Mansour: a wonderfully lavish knowledge

An hour-prolonged Escape Hammam session (one,400 dirham, about £235) in the suite of historically decorated rooms that make up the spa’s hammam.

The procedure

Spy was laid on a marble slab and sloshed with scorching water from a silver bucket by the hammam therapist. She was then left for 15 minutes to soak up the steam from a flowing scorching tap, which opened her pores prepared for purging. Subsequent, the therapist cleaned Spy all in excess of with black soap before rinsing and repeating a lot more vigorously with an exfoliating scrub, applied by glove, which brought on all Spy’s dead skin to come off in tiny whorls of grime. These were again rinsed away, Spy’s hair was washed and she was led to a amazing plunge pool for an invigorating dip.

The verdict

Spy didn’t anticipate to really feel so energised following her remedy and didn’t even need the advised lie down in the spa’s sumptuous 4-poster rest beds. She could not cease touching her skin, which felt as smooth, soft and clean as a baby’s.

The medical opinion

“The sizzling steam of the hammam moistens the skin, facilitating the exfoliation of the layer of dead cells on the surface to reveal, as Spy describes, the sensuous soft skin beneath,” writes Dr James Le Fanu. “Meanwhile, the moist heat also raises the core temperature which, it is claimed, stimulates the immune program and relaxes the muscle groups.”

The really feel-great issue

As you’d count on from a hotel in which the king homes his guests, the Royal Mansour is a wonderfully lavish encounter. While staff preserve out of sight making use of a discreet network of underground passages, you can lounge majestically on your private rooftop, with pool and log fire to warm you while you gaze at the stars dine regally at the two superb eating places – 1 French, one particular Moroccan – supervised by the charming French chef Yannick Alléno and wonder at the bottle of 1888 Armagnac Laubade on display in the cigar lounge.

Particulars

A one-bedroom riad at the Royal Mansour (00212 52980 8080 royalmansour.com), with 3 floors which includes kitchen, stroll-in wardrobe and rooftop terrace with pool, fees from £1,350 per night.

Spa spy: the Royal Mansour: a wonderfully lavish knowledge