Thai Massage in Bangkok For Any Budget

Thai massage is a very long-standing tradition and knowledge of the ancient art was held so dear that the first university in the Kingdom was dedicated to its preservation and practice. The 46-meter Reclining Buddha may be reclining for a good reason. His Bangkok temple, Wat Pho, is also the site of that original school. Inside the temple grounds are statues and drawings of the various techniques.

The nearby Wat Po Thai Massage School teaches travelers (professionals or not) the art and science of this massage. Thai massage is not the kneading bread dough variety, though there is some of that involved as well. It emphasizes repeated pressings on pressure points and a lot of stretching of muscles like yoga poses being performed on you.

A visit to a massage parlor (and I don’t mean the nefarious kind!) can set you back just a few hundred baht or a few thousand. Quality won’t break your budget. The following options will show the breadth of what’s available.

Under 400 baht:

Stay right there at Wat Pho. The nearby massage school graduates ply their trade in a couple air-conditioned parlors on site. It’s a bit of a public affair – mats are laid out side by side throughout.
For something a bit more elegant check out Pimmalai Spa. Set in a quiet and classy Lanna-style building not far from the On Nut SkyTrain station, they offer a similarly priced massage menu. Monthly specials and early-bird specials make this place a real steal. The building is set back from the busy Sukhumvit Road between Soi 81 and Soi 83 and the property is lined with greenery.

A step up:

It’s hard to imagine finding peace and tranquility in the heart of buzzing Bangkok, but Divana Spa manages to pull it off. Just off Sukhumvit Road, the Divana Spa occupies an old Thai home set among a small jungle of green space. Personalized service makes you feel like royalty and no one rushes you in or out. The spa serves coffee and desserts and healthful snacks in a bright, air-conditioned lounge at the gate to the garden.

Something indulgent:

Bangkok’s top-rated super spa is the Devarana Spa at the five-star Dusit Thani Hotel. The interiors are pretty easy on the eyes as well playing with infinity designs, reflecting pools and amber lighting. The service menu goes beyond Thai treatments to many others and couple suites are available. You’re going to want to linger here as long as you can. They don’t call this a day spa for nothing.