Getting a Thai Massage
After several mishaps and 3 entire days (with the 11 hour time difference from the US), I decided to try out a Thai Massage on my first day in Thailand. I had heard it’s something you must try in Thailand but wasn’t sure how it would be different than any massage. Luckily, the one hour Thai Massage was not only extremely affordable ($10!? Heck, I could get one every day here and it would still add up to less than the cost of one massage in the US) but was a super fun experience!
I was strolling through the part of town I was staying in, wandering and taking in the sights, looking for someplace to eat when I stumbled upon a massage place. There were many even on the same road but I decided to walk into the first one I spotted. The Thai are relatively conservative in their dress, and so it was interesting that she showed me into a little room separated in half by curtains and pointed to the clothes on the bed. And when I mean bed, I truly mean a one person, twin-sized bed, complete with a pillow.
I changed into the clothing provided — just a loose collarless button down and capri pants — and sat down on the bed when she came back. At first I laid face down and she went to work on my legs and back. Nothing too peculiar there until all of a sudden my legs are bending in weird shapes, in a figure 4 or criss crossed, but behind my back as I lay down. Then came the first unique part of the massage. The woman knelt on the back of my legs, putting her full weight down on me, and lifted my arms up, pulling and rocking me back like a boat. That was one of several times she cracked my back. The big other one was when she sat behind me, and I sat with my knees up and she sort of swung me side to side.
It was really neat to see her navigate all around me on the bed, instead of just standing over me like the usual masseuse. The Thai massage starts from your feet and works up to your head, so by the end, she was sitting behind me as I leaned back with a pillow in between us, laying vertically. The head and neck massage was heavenly, and while I considered doing just the head and neck massage initially, I was glad I opted for the full body Thai massage since it was so unique (and I always forget how badly my whole body needs a massage until I get one!). I couldn’t help but laugh at some parts since I wasn’t sure what to expect and we would share a look and giggle when we could both hear a loud crack. The woman didn’t know much English but we were still able to communicate, and that’s one of my favorite parts about traveling.
So if you’re ever in Thailand, be sure to try to a Thai massage! It was a wonderful experience and certainly unlike anything I had done before. Stay tuned for more of my Thai adventures!