Morocco’s Hammams and Spas Face Slow Recovery as Customers Remain Scarce Post-Lockdown

The reopening of hammams in this period of heat and with the persistence of the night curfew is marked by low attendance of these spaces, the president of the General Union of Enterprises and Professions (UGEP), Moulay Ahmed Afilal, told the MAP, estimating that the attendance rate is between 10 and 15% of their capacity for the majority, while for some, this rate is between "20 and 25%".

Discussing the impact on turnover, Moulay Ahmed Afilal stressed that the situation is untenable if additional expenses generated by the repairs of the damage caused by the long shutdown of activity have to be added. In addition, the president of the UGEP mentioned the accumulation of debts of the owners of these hammams towards suppliers, taxes and banks dating back to the beginning of the pandemic.

For him, the sector is suffering in silence and it is necessary for the government to exchange with the professionals in the sector in order to find solutions that can save this profession. According to the manager of a SPA in Rabat, the limit of 50% of the reception capacity, the fear of contracting the virus are factors that have slowed down the revenues for four months.

On her side, a masseuse in a Hammam is satisfied with the resumption of activities, adding that she has lived through very difficult moments during the closure of her workplace, her only source of income. "Our customers are certainly not as numerous as the pre-Covid period, but things are improving day by day," she noted.

A weekly ritual for many Moroccans, traditional baths and relaxation centers seem to have left the habits of the clientele after a long period of suspension of activity.