Hammam De La Rose - Marrakech — Local services in Marrakesh Prefecture

Our Riad suggested and booked this Hammam for us. Sadly it was the worst experience we made in our holidays. It startet at the reception where we had to learn that the package we booked only involved a soft massage and that we had to pay more if we wanted a stronger massage which should help against pain. Ok no prob - we pay more. We told the lady it was our first Hammam try - she informed us about nothing put us in the dressing room with some funny Hammam underwear which was way to big for my daughter - still quite Ok. In the Hammam the two ladies who treated us - it started to be strange. They only gave us very unfriendly commands: sit! Stand up! Lay down! And when we should "relax" in this unfriendly atmosphere they giggeled and laughed in the next room and it sounded as if they where making jokes over us. they put the hot water over our head and eyes without warning. When they came to put the traditional black soap on us, it lastet 10 seconds and they put it only a bit on our back and arms and breast one side. I thought: strange I was told it is put all over your body... maybe they do not like to touch us ? Could it be that they think that me and my daughter are a lesbian couple (which should also be no prob!!) and this is why they are so rude? The scrubbing was strong on parts that are sensitive and soft where it could have been stronger (back for example). The argan oil in the end was also put a bit on our face (also in my eyes - they were red for 2 days then) and arms. The rest of our skin was feeling dry and would have needed as well this treatment. Not nice. The massage afterwards was a joke - the two massage ladies talked and laughed and massaged most of the time our feet but softly as the morning breeze and hard on parts. Neck for example- where i had a pain then for 3 more days. They asked in the end " Good massage madam ?" We said no and they pulled us out of the massage room without comment. We asked the reception lady, if the stuff has a proper education - she said yes of course - which we cannot believe at all (maybe a 2 days crash course?) We went out of this Hammam with bad energy and very upset because everybody had told us Hammam is great and we had been so much looking forward to this. By the way this is the most expensive etablisement - our friends chose another Hammam where they paid half prize for exactly the same and they really liked it. I want to say in the end that we met many very nice people in Marrakesch and that they were friendly and caring - this is no gereralisation!! It´s only a feedback to this...

REPLY TO OWNER: I reviewed my receipts, and I’ve edited the price in my review. It was 800 Morrocan dirham, or $80, not $120. Everything else is accurate. The attendants used plastic bowls on me and another person that was there. The Hammam is nicely appointed but not above average, and the employees who provided the scrubs and massage did did treat me rudely. Everything I wrote about my experience is true, and it was definitely Hammam De La Rose.

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THE PLACE: Upscale ambience and an average changing room. Paper underwear provided was fine, and the robes and slippers were about average. The common areas were about what you'd expect, and the treatment area was tiled in a darker blue which was slightly dark and relaxing. The water came out of a fountain in the center of the room, but they used these ugly plastic bowls to splash you and rinse the soap and clay off without regard to giving you a faceful of water. It resembled someone using buckets to rinse a patio.

THE TREATMENTS: I paid for the best treatment offered (hammam + massage). The scrubs were actually painful because the angry woman that scrubbed me 3 times seemed to have a grudge against me and was trying to draw blood. She let me keep the scrubbing glove that she used to punish me. The massage was much shorter than what I paid for and equally hateful. She dug into my body like she wanted to break some bones, and I had to tell her to go lighter because it hurt so much. She would also disappear for 10 minutes at a time, and I didn't know what was next or if she was coming back. It didn't help that she didn't speak a word and just grunted orders at me.

THE STAFF: You can tell how I felt about the staff. How is it possible that the person delivering the treatment can be so poor at relating to customers? How can she not understand that the hammam experience does not include pain or rudeness? The front desk people were courteous, and I didn't get those hate vibes from them.

THE COST: I paid about $80 US for the hammam plus massage, which would have been a good price if the experience hadn't been so unpleasant.

SUMMARY: Although recommended by our hotel, I recommend you go elsewhere. There are a number of very nice hammams, and I heard of several that I wish I'd visited. My recommendation to this hammam's management is to employ better staff, train the employees to be courteous to customers, and ensure they learn a few basic terms in several languages. Customers aren't an intrusion; they are why you provide the services you do. For travelers to Marrakesh, my advice is to skip...

Go elsewhere. We were very disappointed with our overall experience at this hammam. We were warmly greeted by the reception staff and shown the services list. We were a bit frustrated to find the prices were higher than we’d seen advertised on their own flyer elsewhere before coming in, but can’t really fault them for others displaying out of date flyers.

Still, we opted for a massage that was described as somewhat firm as that’s what we both wanted, and we were then shown to the changing rooms. This is where things went downhill. The male changing room is an overly bright, rundown room and doesn’t at all set a relaxing or calming tone. Also the gown I was provided with had multiple dirty stains on it.

We then made our way up to the treatment room which was almost pitch black. Which is somewhat understandable but was a stark contrast to the changing room and created an atmosphere of uncertainty more than one which felt relaxed.

The massage itself was far too soft, mostly consisting of over overly oily stroking. I had multiple knots in my upper back which the masseuse found, and rather than working on these, she moved swiftly past them.

The final frustration was that although we paid for a 50 minute massage, we only received 35-40 minutes of actual massage time. I don’t know if they include the time you’re sat waiting before and after the massage in the advertised time, but I’d assume a 50 minute massage means 50 whole minutes of actually being massaged, and this is what I’ve always experienced elsewhere.

I wouldn’t recommend going here, especially given it’s not exactly cheap. I would have rated it one star but the staff we engaged with were...