What's the deal with the henna ladies in Jemaa el-Fna and other squares?

This is the one I warn women about most, so let me be direct rather than diplomatic. In Jemaa el-Fna especially, the henna women work fast and physically. A common pattern: one will reach out, take your hand or wrist as if to admire your bracelet, and have a flower or paisley half-drawn before you've said yes. Now you're committed in their eyes, and the price quoted at the end — 100, 200, sometimes more dirhams for a tiny design — bears no relation to what henna actually costs. It can turn into a loud, awkward standoff in front of a crowd.

There's a genuine safety issue layered on top of the hustle, and it's not scaremongering. Some vendors use 'black henna', which isn't henna at all — it's PPD, a synthetic hair dye, added to make the stain darker and faster. PPD on skin can cause chemical burns and nasty allergic reactions, sometimes days later, occasionally leaving scars. Real henna is a brownish-green paste that dries to a deep orange-brown over hours; if what's being applied is jet black and 'ready in minutes', that's a red flag and I'd pull my hand away.

None of this means you should avoid henna — it's a beautiful Moroccan tradition tied to weddings and celebrations, and a good henna artist is a real craftsperson. The problem is purely how it's sold to passing tourists in the square. The fix is to opt in deliberately rather than be opted in: never let anyone start a design on you uninvited, and decide for yourself when and where you want it.

My practical steps: keep your hands to yourself as you pass the henna section and a firm 'la, shukran' usually ends it; if someone does start drawing without consent, you owe nothing — withdraw your hand. When you genuinely want henna, go to a riad, spa, or a recommended named artist, ask the price up front, confirm it's natural henna (brown paste, not black), and let it dry properly. Done right it's a lovely keepsake; done in a snatch-and-charge on the square it's a headache at best and a burn at worst.