As we were nearing the end of our two week adventure in Morocco, Pat was starting to look a little….scruffy. One afternoon, as we were wandering the twisted streets of the medina, we noticed a little barbershop. It was completely unmarked, but when we peered inside it was as if time had stopped. The chair, the mirrors and the shaving utensils all looked like they were right out of the history books!
Using our broken French, we asked if Pat could get a straight-edge shave. It was his first time having one, as it’s such a luxury here in the United States.
Our barber got right to work. He lathered Pat up and deftly cleaned up the rough edges of Pat’s beard. It was so fun to watch!
He also left Pat with what could only be called a soul patch. Men would come up to Pat on the street and yell “Ali Baba” and comment that they could tell Pat had his beard trimmed in Morocco.
After he finished the beard, to our surprise he moved on to Pat’s hair. Apparently Pat’s curly locks were also in for a bit of taming. Pat was a little nervous, but thankfully he followed Pat’s gestures to not take too much off.
At the end, when we asked about a price, he told us to pay “si tu veux”, or as you wish. It’s Pat’s first time getting a shave while abroad and something I think we’ll start making a regular thing.
You can set up a shave or a trim next time you’re in Marrakech by emailing Abde_Papa[at]hotmail[dot]fr
Other stories from our Moroccan adventure:
A Day by the Sea in Asilah, Morocco
Magical Blue-Hued Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen – Our Favorites
Northern Morocco Road Trip
Visiting the Fez Tanneries
Moulay Yacoub Spa in Fez
Buying Carpets in Morocco
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