Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech, Morocco
By Emilie Perz — Founder, Sequential Body
Morocco feels very similar to Southern California in some ways — the dry heat, the strong sun, the palm trees, the earth-toned landscape. But what Morocco has that Southern California could never replicate is its depth of history, craftsmanship, and expression. Everything feels intentional and artful. Color lives everywhere — in the rugs, the fabrics, the tiles, the pillows, the clothing. It's rich, sensual, vibrant, and completely unapologetic.
You want to dress like an actual queen there — because the entire country feels so alive.
I'm Emilie Perz, founder of Sequential Body — an education and movement platform rooted in intelligent Yoga, Pilates, biomechanics, and contemporary movement training. I've spent over two decades teaching, mentoring, and building experiences across the wellness and luxury retreat industries.
After building a successful career in Los Angeles, I chose to completely reinvent my life and business internationally — a move that reinforced what I've always believed: strong teaching transcends trends, locations, and aesthetics.
I'm hosting my second women's retreat at Be Marrakech in September 2027. Morocco does something to you. It expands your imagination. It makes you want to create more, wear more, feel more.
A Country That Celebrates Adornment
In America, especially in Southern California, there's often a culture of sameness — trends move fast, and people tend to mirror each other. Morocco feels like the opposite. It celebrates individuality, adornment, texture, and beauty in a way that feels deeply personal and expressive.
It's overwhelming in the best possible way because it expands your imagination. You can walk through the Medina and have almost anything custom made to your body in the most beautiful fabrics you would rarely ever find in America. There's something incredibly inspiring about being surrounded by that level of artistry and originality everywhere you turn.
The best time to visit is January through March. Marrakech in peak summer is relentless — the medina retains heat in a way that stops being romantic quickly. In winter the days are warm, clear, and exactly right. The evenings cool off properly. The light in January is specific in the way that desert light always is: long shadows, deep color, a quality that photographs can't quite replicate in other parts of the world.
Getting Your Babouches Made — The One I Almost Didn't Share
Not pulling a pair off a shelf in the souk — sitting with a craftsman and having a pair made to your actual foot. It takes time and there's negotiation involved. You'll sit somewhere you didn't expect to sit, chat with someone you never expected to chat with, and wait longer than feels efficient — and then leave with something that was made specifically for you.
That specificity is the point. It's the experience the souk is actually capable of, and most people rush past it.
"Waking up in a riad and hearing the call to prayer played over speakers across the medina. It happens before dawn. The strangeness and beauty of being woken by something ancient that isn't meant for you — but that you receive anyway."— Emilie Perz on Marrakech
Where to Eat, Drink & Linger
The restaurants in Morocco are divine and dinner time typically begins around 9–10:30pm, which I love. Breakfast at your riad is a must — they're always gorgeous, cozy, and the food is always amazing. But a late afternoon rooftop lunch is non-negotiable.
Breakfast
At your riad — always. They're gorgeous, cozy, and the food is consistently beautiful. It's one of the great quiet luxuries of being here.
Coffee
Bacha Coffee. The line is insane so get there early morning and/or prepare to wait — but it is worth it.
Long Lazy Lunch
A rooftop overlooking the medina. They're all gorgeous and the food is incredible. Nomad does this well — order everything and stay for two hours. That particular quality of afternoon which is unhurried exists in very few places in the world at this price point.
People Watching
Any café with a terrace facing a square in the medina. Order a mint tea, keep your sunglasses on and just enjoy the free entertainment. Marrakech does this better than almost anywhere I've been.
Cocktails & Sundowners
El Fenn. The rooftop terrace there has the kind of view that explains why people keep returning to this city. Go early enough to actually watch the light change — the medina at golden hour from that rooftop is one of those views that makes you understand, physically, why places become mythologized.
Best Dinner
Mo Mo. It's a Marrakech institution for a reason — carved plasterwork, lantern light, the full architecture of a serious evening in a sexy city. I also love Chez Ali: eat, smoke a hookah and watch all the shows throughout the night. So fun and flirty.
Date Night
El Fenn for cocktails at sunset, then Mo Mo for dinner. A perfect evening.
Where to Stay
Never a hotel — riads only. They're impeccable and offer the most beautiful backdrop. The hammam at your riad, if it has one, is the best spa experience in the city. Traditional kessa scrub, rhassoul clay.
Image Source: Pinterest.
The Culture, the Craft, and the One Outdoor Escape That Changes Everything
Ben Youssef Madrasa. The 14th-century Islamic college is one of the most architecturally astonishing buildings I've been inside — tiled floors, carved cedar woodwork, the courtyard open to sky at the center. The scale of the craftsmanship is genuinely humbling. Go early before the tour groups arrive and take your time with the details.
Jardin Majorelle is also not to be skipped. Yves Saint Laurent's garden is controlled, chromatic, and quiet in a way the medina never is. The cobalt blue against the desert planting registers differently in person than in any photograph.
And the Agafay Desert, about an hour from the city. Open and entirely still — flat stone desert, big horizon, a quality of light in the late afternoon that only exists at the Saharan edge. Go for a full day if you can. Stay for sunset.
Pack Light. Come Ready to Be Dressed by Morocco.
Come with one empty suitcase and/or pack very little — because you can get all your clothes made for your visit for very reasonable prices. I have so many great custom made pieces from Morocco that I absolutely love. Some great gowns and caftans to look for: Oubaich, Le Bronx Deluxe, and Topolina.
Bring a couple of large colorful scarves you can wear multiple ways — not for warmth, but for covering your shoulders (very important), protecting yourself from dust in the souks, wrapping around your hair when the sun gets hot.
One thing not to do: accept help from a stranger who offers to guide you out of the medina. It's a well-practiced routine. Trust your phone's GPS and watch others around you carefully. Getting lost in the medina is one of the real pleasures of being there — but you do need to be aware of your surroundings.
Always on foot through the medina. The streets are too narrow and too alive for anything else, and walking is the only way to actually see it. Outside the medina, hire a petit taxi for short distances — agree on a price before you get in.
Image Source: Pinterest.
The Stack She'd Wear Here
Morocco is all vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows — but cobalt blue is their blue. Emilie stacks the Mood Collection with the Sunshine and Dreams collection for the full Marrakech moment.
Jewellery made to be felt — layered, intentional, worn like a talisman in the cities that make you want to dress like a queen.
Explore the Collection