It was in 1995 that the Hammam (public bath and spa) Ziani opened its doors in the Casablanca neighborhood of Benjdia. Back then the event made a lot of noise because the spa was a four-story building offering spa, sauna, and beauty services, along with modern facilities including a cafeteria. The Ziani challenged the existence of the traditional Turkish hammams. A decade later the number of luxury spa businesses mushroomed and they are no longer a novelty. In Casablanca, Morocco's financial capital, beside the Ziani, the pioneer in this business, are the Pacha, the Topkapi, and Jacques Dessange on Anfa Boulevard. The Zaki in Maarif, which opened in 2001, has lost some of its early momentum given its diversification program that evolved a little too fast.
While many say these luxury spa outlets have been challenging the existence of the traditional hammams, the reality is that old-fashion bathing houses remain popular. This is because luxury spas attract only a niche clientele composed of Morocco's upper middle class to the wealthy ones. The cost of entry into these spas is often the first barrier to mass market. On weekdays, the Ziani charges an entry fee of MAD 30. While this is low in western standard, it is high cost for the average Moroccan. The entry fee is double at Topkapi, amounting to between three and eight times what traditional hammams charge. The services are also far more expensive in spas with basic soaping service starting at MAD 30 per session. Massage services are simply out of reach to the average Moroccan.
Topkapi, which opened less than one year ago, offers a variety of massages, including the traditional Ghassoul massage, starting at MAD 30. The top-of-the-line Ghassoul involving sesame oil, honey and other oils costs MAD 150, a prohibitive sum for most Moroccans. The half hour double-masseuse session costs MAD 150. Clients can also request special rooms for use with family or friends. The VIP treatment used by the Pacha and Topkapi comes from ancestral practices. It is normal practice for a neighborhood Hammam to be fully rented by a single family for an evening communal bathing prior to celebrating a wedding or a similar event and luxury spas have adopted the same offering, adding services like massages and personal grooming. In the Pacha, which opened in May 2003 with an investment of MAD10 million, a couple can share two hours of complete services for MAD 600. Each additional person costs MAD 150. The Pacha has two sections that patrons can book entirely for their group use. The services are personalized, including the choice of music and the aroma used in the steam rooms. Patrons have unlimited refills for coffee, tea, water, lemonade and juices and for newlyweds, candles and henna are included.
VIP treatment at the Topkapi costs MAD 380 per person. The spa has two facilities for group rentals capable of accommodating up to 15 people per room. These rooms are used by Topkapi to target businesses and a commercial clientele with prices topping MAD 4,500 for all the spa has to offer.
On average, these spas receive some 100 clients per day, with peak period being the weekend and during the winter season. However in spas like Zaki, demand increases in the summer months of July and August when the Moroccan expatriates who return home for vacation use these facilities.
The typical profile of a spa user in Morocco is a female, owner of a business, a government official or a young executive. Most users or 70% are women, who are not only attracted by the services offered but also by the incentive programs put in place by the spas marketing teams.
Spa owners remain tight-lipped when it comes to sharing information on revenue, cost and profit. But they are often vocal about the high costs of maintaining what is considered in Morocco as a luxury business. Their energy bills and the monthly payroll to maintain an average of 40 employees, most of whom have temporary worker status represent the bulk of their expenses. But because of the status of their employees, wages are paid on the commission basis extracted from each client. No spa employee earns a base salary, perpetuating a state of poverty among the spa workforce. Spa owners, however, say all of their employees are registered at the social security administration CNSS
© The North Africa Journal 2005
