Les Massages Berbères — Local services in Essaouira

We booked a couples hammam experience at Massage Berbere in Essaouria per the recommendation of our riad host.  We decided on the gommage (exfoliation) + massage (for me a relaxant, since I don’t like deep tissue work, and for my partner a tonic, aka deep tissue).  We were sorely disappointed by the experience as the massage entailed a light "barely there" touch.  Numerous times, even I requested deeper/stronger pressure and we were met with a slight grunt and whispers in Arabic between our masseuses, but no additional pressure.  The one hour massage was actually frustrating and left us both more tense than when we arrived.  The gommage was provided by a singular person - thus we were waiting side by side, while she poured the water over us and scrubbed us, leaving us wondering if the one hour gommage simply entailed laying on the tile for half the time versus being worked on.  On the plus side, we appreciated having the opportunity to lie near each other in the same private room and appreciated having heated tile to lie on.  The water was warm and the products smelled pleasant. All in all; however, the gommage experience was underwhelming and the massage was extremely frustrating and not remotely worth the high cost (the most expensive splurge of our trip, with the added insult that they attempted to charge us both for tonic massages. We would discourage anyone from seeking out a massage at this hamman unless they actually enjoy a feather...

They make you wait a long time with minimal communication. Then they tried to end a 1 hour massage in 45 minutes. I'm used to people skimping on time in Morocco and checking my watch before a session. Usually when you tell them they have ended early, they will give you the time to make it a whole hour. However when I told this masseuse that she had ended it early she waved her hand dismissively and said that I didn't need a full hour and should just relax and lay there. I figured, "Ok, if I don't need a full hour, then you don't need to be paid a full hour either." So I withheld the proportionate amount of cash at the end with a protest from her. The owner was put on the phone and she offered me an extra 30 minutes for more money 🤣--not sure why she thought I should pay any extra money. She finally agreed to the prorated amount. I was stressed more than when I walked in and decided to move on with my day. Not worth the 45 minutes I did...

Simply amazing. Adapted to tourists and even let you go in a couple without separating gender in the hammam. I really appreciated this because I would have felt too insecure to try it by myself.

First, you strip to your underwear (women left with only bottoms). Then you go into a soothing steam bath where a lady literally washes and exfoliates your whole body. Words cannot describe this experience. Then, they wash your hair and rinse you off with warm buckets of water.

If you booked the massage too, then you are taken to a different room where you towel dry and lose the last piece of underwear you had. They them give you a lovely massage in a relaxing environment. Spoiler: they use oil throughout your body and including hair, so make sure to still have hotel access after your hammam experience, so you can shower one last time before continuing your...