About Us

The meaning of most henna designs found today has to do with beauty and enhancing a person's appearance. It is the main reason that brides, for instance, love to get henna for their special day. Many designs in our catalog incorporate elements with cultural significance and others have the older, traditional meanings such as warding off the evil eye or bestowing blessings.

The longevity of a henna tattoo depends on many things, including your individual skin composition, having properly prepared clean skin (ie, no lotions, cream or sunscreen on the area to be tattooed), your adherence to the instructions in the front of the henna design catalog, and your activities after getting the henna. The average longevity of a henna tattoo is between 5-7 days.

We do NOT use black henna. Our henna is 100% natural, with no chemical additives.The only color that a natural henna tattoo comes in is a reddish brown. People are often confused because the natural henna paste is a dark brown color. When the paste is removed after 6-8 hours, the tattoo itself is reddish brown.

“Black henna” is achieved with a dangerous chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD) used primarily as a permanent hair-coloring agent. In Marrakech, unscrupulous persons roam the public areas with many tourists and accost them armed with a syringe loaded with PPD. Avoid allowing these women to touch you or your children; they often ignore your refusal and grab a hand, apply the black henna and then demand money for the insult. For more information on black henna, please click on the link below-but be aware that there are disturbing photos of the result of black henna poisoning.
Dangerous black henna

We do not take reservations unless it is for large groups. Just come in anytime between 11 am and 7 pm, any day of the week. The receptionist will give you a catalog of henna designs, and you can take a seat and relax while you look at the designs and make your choices. Let him know if you want any refreshments, and he will send you a waiter as well. Our designs range in price from 50 Moroccan dirhams on up, and we have two artists on staff at all times, so the process moves quickly. You will need to sit quietly for 15-20 minutes for the initial drying period.

When the henna paste has dried, the artist will apply a sugar and lemon solution to the henna, and you can then leave the cafe. We ask that you pay in cash, in dirhams or euros, but it is possible to pay by card as long as a 3% processing fee is agreeable.

For your part, the most important thing you can do to ensure a great henna experience is to read the instructions on the first page in the catalog. The same information and more can be found on our website at www.marrakechhennaartcafe.com

We pride ourselves on a cross cultural dining experience. Our focus is on a relaxed, quiet and casual atmosphere, with a mix of traditional Moroccan dishes, some fusion selections and a menu that serves the needs of people with special dietary needs. Our selection includes vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free dishes as well as respecting the needs of persons with nut allergies, lactose intolerances and religion-based restrictions.

We understand that celiacs need to be very careful in their choices. We do have a variety of gluten free options on our menu, but we can not, unfortunately, guarantee our kitchen to be free of the possibility of cross contamination. The kitchen is very small, and Moroccan kitchens are full of bread. Raw wheat flour has a very small presence in our kitchen as we do not bake our bread or crepes onsite, (with the exception of our gluten free lentil crepes), but our waffle batter is mixed fresh, with wheat flour as the base. Our wait and kitchen staff all understand the serious nature of the disease and we always ask our celiac guests to inform the receptionist upon their arrival.

All of the art that you see in the cafe is created onsite, or in our art workshop located just outside of the city. We focus on art pieces that highlight henna as a unique element and our naqashas (henna artists) illustrate their talent on many surfaces. The art is for sale and the receptionist will be happy to give you any information he can.

Also featured is work by Lori K Gordon, an American artist and co-owner of the cafe. Lori’s work can be found in private and public collections worldwide, including those of two American presidents, several university collections and museums including the Smithsonian Museum. For more information on Lori and her work, please visit www.lorikgordon.org.