Полдня в спа La Mamounia

The spa sits below the hotel, in pale marble and mosaic, with the light kept low throughout. The half day covers the traditional ritual: black soap scented with neroli, the kessa glove worked hard, a ghassoul wrap, then a long rinse.

Sixty or ninety minutes depending on which ritual you take, and a massage can follow it. Afterwards you have the pool and the gardens, which are the reason to arrive early and leave late.

Rituals are given in private rooms rather than a shared chamber, and therapists are matched by gender without your having to ask. Three days' notice is usually enough, more in spring. It runs neatly into tea at the Menzeh once you are dressed again.