Hotel Riad Dar Daif- a grounding hammam and exquisite massage in Ouarzazate

Hotel Riad Dar Daif

a grounding hammam & exquisite massage

‘Body care is one of the great specialities of Moroccan culture. Since the early days of the Moor dynasties, these practices have been fully integrated into the art of living’ Hotel Riad Dar Daif

Hotel Riad Dar Daif – a pure delight on entry

Through the heavy wooden doors, Dar Daif greets you with an air of Moorish charm combined with French art nouveau tones.

Mirroring the desert landscape, with sandy yellow hues, dark green tiles and a natural wood ceiling illuminated by a single candelabra, there’s an enigmatic quality here, which has the effect of sparking your curiosity.

The reception area opens out into a quiet inner courtyard, filled with the sound of birdsong and bursting with vibrant pink bougainvillea.

I breathed a deep sigh of relief, to be leaving the outside world behind.

Hotel Riad Dar Daif inner courtyard — *Hotel Riad Dar Daif* inner court yard

Terrace Views and Mint Tea

I was immediately welcomed by the receptionist who offered me mint tea on the terrace before my treatments began. This symbolic Moroccan welcome set the tone of the whole afternoon, with each member of staff and therapist I encountered typifying the Berber welcoming spirit.

I relaxed for about 30 minutes on the terrace – sipping sweet mint tea overlooking beautiful landscapes. In one direction, the hotel’s leafy courtyard and to the other – an arid scene of stark contrasts, burnished yellows and browns, the dark green of palms against a magnificent clear blue sky.

I had a good feeling about the hammam and massage experience.

Mint tea on the terrace of Hotel Riad Dar Daif — Mint tea on the roof terrace

View from the terrace of Hotel Riad Dar Daif — View of the surrounding landscape

A Private Hammam

A short while later, I was collected by the friendly receptionist and taken to the hammam.

This was to be my third hammam in Morocco and I’ve learnt that whilst the general procedure of washing and exfoliating in a heated room is the same, each is very unique in terms of the style of the hammam itself, the way the exfoliation is carried out and the energy of the assistant.

The hammam at Hotel Riad Dar Daif is traditionally styled and is composed of three connected tiled rooms:

a changing area
a restroom with shower at a moderate temperature
a warm wet room with a vaulted ceiling heated by a wood oven, with one tub of cold water and another of hot at the far end.

I met Fatima, my hammam assistant, in the changing room and I took to her calm manner immediately. We both undressed and entered the heated tiled cave like sanctuary.

Fatima pulled up a rubber mat, placed it on the floor and instructed me to sit down. This differed from the previous private hammam I’d experienced where I lay on a wooden bench. I felt it was perhaps more in tune with the traditional communal hammams where women may sit on the floor.

Tiled heated hammam with a vaulted ceiling creating a cave like appearance at Hotel Riad Dar Daif — Tiled heated hammam with a vaulted ceiling creating a cave like appearance.

Grounding and rooting down

I sat crossed legged on the warm tiles and closed my eyes whilst Fatimah prepared the water and equipment for the hammam exfoliation.

Fatimah, then sat down and a hushed silence descended upon us. I felt my mind and body root down and ground to the solid heated floor. I breathed in the warm moist air and set my intention for the experience. I like to do this as it helps remove lingering thoughts from the outside world and settles me into the present moment. My intention was to simply be.

I really loved this initial silence and space before the treatment began. It felt like both myself and Fatimah, two strangers sat in the hushed warmth, were taking the time to silently connect and honour each other.

Intense exfoliation

Fatimah, whose bare feet were beautifully hennaed with intricate patterns, began by ceremoniously pouring a large bucket of warm water across the floor where I was sitting.

She then sat next to me and began the process of lathering me with olive soap, exfoliation and the flowing of water.

Every inch of my body was scrubbed and cleaned as Fatimah moved and directed me into different positions.

You can read about the general procedure of hammams here.

A timeless connection

I found that sitting and laying on the floor with the assistant sat next to me on the same level, as opposed to a raised bench in my other private hammam experience at Dar Al Hossoun in Taroudant, evoked very different feelings. It felt personal and intimate, but also very grounding. There was also a timeless quality which connected me to the past, and reminded me that for centuries, before the invention of home showers, women (and men) have bathed, scrubbed and socialised together in hammams. It’s woven into the fabric Moroccan culture.

Wrapped in a bathrobe

On completion, Fatimah, helped me up from the floor and led me back to the changing room, wrapped me in a fluffy bathrobe and placed a towel around my wet hair.

I was then handed over to the massage therapist.

A ‘wow’ massage!

An enchanting massage room

The massage room at Hotel Riad Dar Daif is gorgeous. I really loved it – in keeping with the rest of the hotel it blends Moroccan and French elements, with an art nouveau feel. Small but enchanting, with old fashioned cabinets, dark green tiles and historic prints.

A sweeping massage journey

Commencing at my feet and accumulating in a gorgeous head massage, this massage was a delectable journey of oceanic swathes of rhythmic delight.

Using just the right amount of pressure, my therapist massaged deeply into my feet and legs and then moved into an incredibly immersive back massage and then to the rest of my body. Her hands barely seem to leave my skin throughout, creating a mesmerising flow and a feeling of being deeply cared for.

At each stage, warm towels were placed on my body, so I felt very warm and cosy.

A therapist in tune

Some therapists when they give massages, or any other treatment for that matter, put their heart and soul into their craft and this therapist most certainly did. I felt all her energy was focused on me resulting in a harmonious, intuitive massage that was simply a pure pleasure.

On completion she asked me how it was, and looking up with docile eyes all I could say was ‘wow’!