The Land of Smiles offers massage to put a smile on anyone's face. The theraputic benefits are many and no one should leave Thailand without trying this famous treatment.
I was a bit apprehensive on my first visit to a Thai massage parlour. I'd been warned about the girls and boys who worked the clubs in the raunchy areas of Bangkok, so I was delighted to find that all the major 5* hotels had massage parlours with beautiful young men and women eager to soothe away my jet-lagged stress.
I’d previously enjoyed the head massage from the hotel hairdresser and discovered how relaxing this could be. I was imagining this for the whole body as the masseuse got to work on my jet-lagged body with her magic fingers. Don't let anyone tell you it's not good for you; it just has to be
It's difficult to describe having someone walk up and down your back massaging you with their feet and kneading your calves with their toes. At one point I was convinced I was having an out-of-body experience, and when my limbs responded of their own accord to gentle tugs from the masseuse, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
There are those who will tell you that this is ‘cosmetic’ massage and not the ancient Thai massage that cures aches and pains and disperses digestive problems and migraines, but it worked for me. But try them both.
Ancient Thai Massage is pressure point therapy, available in many places but most famously in the 300 year old Wat Pho, the national headquarters for the preservation of traditional Thai medicine and massage. Here on one of 50 wooden day-beds, you can try it for yourself for about US $18. Doctors and lay students come here to be taught these practical skills by the orange-robed monks. Tourists are also welcome to take the 10-day course for quite a modest fee.
Most hotels have excellent massage teams, but the delightful Dusit Resort Hotel in Hua Hin just two hours south of Bangkok, has fully trained and qualified staff who will give massages in the garden if you don’t want to go to the Spa or Clubhouse. Another hotel in the same area where the massages can be recommended is The Verandah, a new boutique hotel right on the beach at Cha’am.
Massage is a gentle and beneficial art, one of the oldest therapies known to man for easing mental and physical pain. Relax and enjoy it, the benefits are untold.
