
Wellness & spa
Thai massage, herbal compresses and multi-day retreats. Ranging from a $12 hour on a temple courtyard mat to a five-day programme with a doctor.
Wat Pho is the home of Thai massage and still teaches it; a session there is cheap, firm and genuinely therapeutic. Resort spas cost ten times more and are more comfortable — both are legitimate.
For longer programmes we work with retreats in Chiang Mai and Hua Hin that combine massage, yoga and Thai herbal medicine. We will tell you which ones are medically supervised and which are simply expensive.
Where to do it
Places that make it work
Temple
Wat Pho & the Reclining Buddha
A working temple with a 46-metre gold-leaf reclining Buddha, a courtyard of 91 stupas and Thailand's original sc…
Temple
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, reached by 306 steps or a very short funicular.…
Nature
Pai Canyon & Sai Ngam Hot Springs
A narrow ridge of eroded clay with views over the Pai valley, and forest hot springs twenty minutes further nort…
Neighbourhood
Bang Krachao (Bangkok's Green Lung)
A bend in the Chao Phraya that was never built on: raised concrete paths, jungle, stilt houses and no cars.…
Village
Mae Kampong Village
A one-street village in a valley an hour east of Chiang Mai, known for coffee, homestays and mist.…
Beach
Kata Noi Beach
A 700-metre cove south of Kata, sheltered by headlands, with the best swimming on Phuket's west coast.…
Tours built around it
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