Fancy a trip to the spa? If you were in Morocco over the weekend, you could have courtesy of the King.
During a recent visit to Fez, a city within the northern regions of the Kingdom and formerly its capital, His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco undertook a tour of the spas in the neighbouring town of Moulay Yaacoub. The visit itself was largely for business, as the King was personally launching several new projects within the area such as the opening of a new airport, the reopening of several historical madrassas, and the re-opening of the Al-Qarawiyyin Library — the oldest continuously used library in the world.
While within the area, the King visited the baths several times across three days for rest and relaxation. It was during these spa trips that he came to realise he never encountered any other guests also using the facilities.
Upon inquiring with the spa’s officials why this is, he was informed that all other guests and bookings had been cancelled, even those who had paid in advance, and no one was permitted to visit the baths while His Majesty was present. This was done in the interest of the King’s security.
King Mohammed was reportedly displeased by this decision made on his behalf and promptly ordered the spa to open for three days free of charge as a way of making amends for the hassle caused to the other guests. The decision was gratefully received by the city’s local inhabitants, who were able to enjoy a spa visit that would normally cost them 80MAD. The royal spa trip discount ran from last Friday to the end of Sunday.
In addition to ensuring that his subjects are suitably pampered, local residents are particularly hopeful that His Majesty would also use the next opening of parliament as an opportunity to shake up Moroccan politics, and continue a slow series of reforms that had been ongoing since the Arab Spring of 2011. King Mohammad was famously able to quickly restore calm to his agitated subjects by promising constitutional reforms that would curb his powers and empower the elected chambers of the Moroccan parliament.
