Tips on Getting The Most Out Of Your Thai Massage in Bangkok

There’s a good article that can help you to get more out of your Thai massage treatment in Bangkok. To summarize, it advises you to

1. arrive a bit early,
2. take a hot shower beforehand to loosen up your muscles
3. hydrate your body before the massage
4. chose loose and light clothing for the massage
5. have clean feet (specially important if you’re wearing open shoes or flipflops around Bangkok…)
6. don’t eat a lot before the massage, but don’t arrive starving either
7. stretch before the massage
8. accept a little pain at some acupressure points
9. if you don’t want something or are uncomfortable, communicate so
10. don’t talk during the massage and instead let your mind drift
11. relax a bit before getting out into “real life” after your massage
12. drink after massage

another thing I’d like to recommend: go to the toilet before the massage, even if you don’t feel like it. It would just take a lot of pleasure out of your massage if you suddenly feel the urge to urinate while laying there. Of course you can always get up and go to the toilet, but that would be an unpleasant interruption in the midst of a lot of wonderful relaxation.

You can check out the original article here.

Massage Recommendation in Bangkok: Arima Onsen

News.com.au recently featured an article titled “Ten Things Every Aussie Should Do In Bangkok“. Number ten? Yeeesss, a Thai massage!

No visit to the Bangkok is complete without experiencing a massage.

Vigorous in nature, Thai massage reaches deep into the muscle tissue, relieving tension and tightness in the body. At the hands of an expert, there is no better way to unwind at the end of a long day of sightseeing.

Forget the overpriced spas in five-star hotels, try one of the many local parlours.

A first rate traditional massage experience can be found at Arima Onsen on Suriwong Road, not far from the Silom BTS Skytrain station. Arima Onsen is renowned for high quality at a very reasonable price. Two-hour traditional Thai massage is around 380 baht.

Be sure to tip the masseuse another 100 baht if you enjoy experience.

Foot, face, and oil massage is also available. For further information visit Arima Onsen.

You can also enjoy a traditional massage or take a course to learn the art at Wat Pho Massage.

If you want to know what the other nine things are that Aussies should do in Bangkok, you have to read the full article…

Things To Do In Bangkok

The Examiner recently wrote about things that you should do when in Bangkok… among them of course: getting a Thai massage. Read for yourself:

Get a massage. Or two. Or ten. Seriously. With starting rates at 200-300 Baht (about $5.86-$8.90 USD) for an hour-long foot or Thai massage, body work in Bangkok is a ridiculously good value, not to mention insanely therapeutic after a long day of sightseeing. We treated ourselves just about every night. Sure, some parlors are better than others, but don’t judge the strength of a Thai girl’s hands by the size of her body. The tiniest of women can work out the toughest of knots. And most of the places are on the up and up, although you should use discretion. If a place looks unclean or shady, skip it.

The tiny sois off Sukhumvit Road between the Phrom Phong and Thong Lo SkyTrain stations offer endless locations, as does Silom Road between Silom 18 and Thanon Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra. (Note: Bangkok addresses can be confusing. Locations are often referred to by “soi,“ which is a Thai term for side street. So Silom Soi 18 might be called Soi 18, and Sukhumvit Soi 24 might be referred to simply as Soi 24 or Suk Soi 24.)

One note of caution: Bangkok’s infamous Patpong district is probably not the place to seek out a legit massage, unless you’re looking for a different type of body work.

RarinJinda Spa

Over at the PhilStar Christine S. Dayrit recently wrote a review on the RarinJinda Spa near Grande Centrepoint.

Here an excerpt:

We sampled their signature hot stone massage therapy that gives you the sensation of being transported to an ethereal place of peace and tranquility. All weariness seems to dissipate as the stones come in contact with your skin in a warm caress. The gentle kneading and soothing background music “rocks” you to sweet slumber.

The Rarin Jinda spa was awarded the 2008 Thailand Tourism Award and is a nominee for the best boutique hotel spa from 2008 Spaasia Crystal Awards.

You can read reviews of the RarinJinda Spa in Chiang Mai (of which the BKK is an affiliate) from TripAdvisor too. It get’s great reviews, like “Chiang Mai’s best kept secret“, “Beautiful Setting, beautiful rooms“, “Pure Pleasure”

And finally of course, there is the official website of the RarinJinda spa at RarinJinda.com (but be aware that their page loads extremely slow because they have flash and fancy graphis…)

For some reason though, they don’t seem to offer Thai massage – you can find a list of their services and prices here.

Massage in The Park in Bangkok

Yes, you can get a massage in the park in Bangkok. The Sanam Luang Park, about 10 minutes up from the Grand Palace, is a great place to get massages every evening. More than 400 masseurs and masseuses set up their little mats and pillows there and offer traditional Thai massage for as little as 100 baht per hour.

read on here: http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/06/national/national_30079891.php

Bangkok Massage in the News

The International Herald Tribune recently featured an article on things you can do along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok. One of them of course is getting a traditional Thai massage in the Wat Poh temple. If you’re gonna go to Bangkok and need some ideas on what to do, it’s well worth reading.

In the Australian “The Age” one of their writers recently got to experience some authentic luxury Thai massages – one of them at The Metropolitan hotel where the Shambala Spa is located.

And in the Bangkok post there’s an article that is really talking about tourism in Bangkok, and how Bangkok is good when it comes to “slow tourism” (where you actually get to absorb the culture), including things like getting a traditional Thai massage at the Wat Poh temple, but that it might be missing out on “the lucrative, fast-paced” tourism that many Asian tourists are interested in.

Tibetan Medicine in Bangkok

The Shangri-La Bangkok is now also offering a treatment that comes from Tibetan medicine (sowa rigpa).

Here’s how this Tibetan treatment goes:

Salt is collected by nomads from the ancient dry bed of the Tethys sea (which is high up in the Tibetan mountains, 14.000 feet or 4,500 m). This salt is then mixed with other Tibetan herbs.

The salt crystals are then used to scrub the reciever of this luxurious Tibetan treatment in the Shangri-La Bangkok.

Then Himalayan mountain mud is being applied to the body and a full-body massage is also part of the whole experience and is definitely aimed at those who are financially well-equipped: it comes with a $230 price tag.

Currently the Shangri-La also has an introductory offer: Their Himalayan Tsangpo Ritual Introductory Offer for only 3,300 baht.

Read more:

• Time Magazine Website
• Shangri-La Hotel Website

CBSNews Writes About Massage in Bangkok

CBS News recently wrote about Bangkok, and the fact that it’s a great place to travel on a budget.

It lists several things you can do with a very small budget – among them getting a Thai massage for $3 per hour! To enjoy this treat, head to Skills Development Center in Pak Kret (in the north of Bangkok) where you can get a massage from a blind trainee. (Blind people are supported by the government to get a training in Thai massage. This is because since they can’t see, their sense of touch is much more refined than seeing people’s sense of touch, which is a good qualification to become a massage practitioner).

Massage by the blind in Bangkok is nothing new, and many Asian countries have similar policies.

Who’s Writing About Massage in Bangkok?

For one, it’s the Australian News.com.au website:

NEWS.com.au

Andrew Spooner also wrote about his Thai massage experience in Bangkok in his article titled “How I was stroked into submission in Bangkok”.

With a dodgy back that causes perpetually knotted

muscles, I am in Bangkok to get a massage. And no, it is not the kind born from the fantasies of middle-aged

Western men. There will be no scantily-clad females, nor any “extras”.

This is, for the record, purely medicinal. My destination is the legendary temple of Wat Pho. Founded in 1788 after the Burmese sacked the ancient Thai capital at Ayutthaya, this temple became Thailand’s first university. [read more...]

It’s a pretty good article that goes a bit more into the history and background of traditional Thai massage, so I do recommend you read Andrew’s article.

Be Careful With Those Thai massages in Bangkok

Thai massage can in fact make you more flexible – but you don’t want to overdo it

These are not actually all recorded in Bangkok, many are Chinese professional artists, but it’s amazing to see what a healthy body is able to do.