A Massage a Day Keeps the Doctor Away….

Kate here. Once again Graeme has been diligent about writing blog entries, and I have not. So I decided to write about one of my favorite topics: spa treatments.

While Graeme and/or my family may disagree, I consider myself a low key female. I rarely wear make-up, I can shower and get dressed in the less than 15 minutes (thanks to my swimming days), and mismatched clothes don’t bother me. But when it comes to the spa, there is nothing low key about me. I love the spa. Unfortunately Columbia’s tuition has kept me far away from such delights as facials and massages for the past year. Thailand, the land of $12 massages, put an end to the drought of self-indulgence.

For those who have been to Bangkok know that massages parlors are as plentiful as Starbucks are in the US. Some of the parlors are down right sketchy, but others are nice and sanitary. Based on a recommendation, we ended up at a cute little place whose name has escaped me. For 900 baht (less than $30), Graeme and I both enjoyed an hour long Thai massage. For those not familiar with a Thai massage, no oil is used. While therapists massage your body in a similar manner that you would expect from a standard Swedish massage in the US, they also turn and twist your body in ways that you thought only Gumby could move. More impressive, the therapists were half our size but still managed manipulate our western size bodies (As an aside, I bought a jacket in Beijing and had to buy a 2XL!). The experience was heavenly. We returned to the same spa the next day for more, and the trend of massages continued for the rest of our stay in Thailand. In Phuket, however, the setting was less private. Instead of opting for the absurdly priced hotel spa massage, we decided to take advantage of the beach massages. Under a thatched hut, I, along with 4 of my closest hotel friends, enjoyed a massage. The tradeoff was that you could see the beach and hear the sound of the waves. As much as I enjoyed all the sight seeing during our trip, my massages were definitely a highlight!