tuk-tuks thaimassage

spadestination
&
tuk-tuks
thaimassage
inchiangmai
writer & photographer
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AsiaSpa 2008
catharine nicol
Thailand manaña style, Chiang Mai may be the country’s second
largest city, but nothing about it feels anywhere near as hectic,
polluted or commercial as capital Bangkok. Low rise, save for a few
modern hotels, the city is made up of eateries, massage shops and
the most laid back locals imaginable. Genuinely kind, generous
and patient, they shuttle tourists, and each other, from restaurant
to bar, and from shop to market, in tuk-tuks emblazoned with their
personal hallmarks – photos of friends, stickers of tours and even
stereos, mini TVs and flashing lights.
Trekking the mountains, up in the deep green rainforest, is
the most popular reason to be here, alongside days spent temple
hopping (there are around fifty temples in the city alone), chilling
out and spending hard earned Baht at the numerous markets. Silver,
hill tribe textiles and clothes are great buys. And don’t forget to try
the street side papaya salad, phad thai and even bee larvae and ant
omelettes.
Wellbeing is a way of life here, with traditional Thai massage
the best way of ironing out the day’s aches and pains. You’ll become
addicted to the pressure point, deep tissue and stretch work, whether
it’s on one of a number of thin mattresses in a single roomed massage
parlour for 200 Baht, or within some of the most beautiful spas in
South East Asia.
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spadestination
Shangri-La Chiang Mai
You can’t help thinking of the Shangri-La Bangkok in the upward
sweep of the entrance of the brand new sister property in Chiang
Mai. Just minutes from the night bazaar, while outside tuk tuks zoom
by, inside all is calm elegance. Inside the hint of Lanna style decor
is apparent.The lobby is a vast space leading to restaurants (market
style Kad Kafé and the modern Thai Silapa Thai), and bars, while
the 281 rooms and suites are spacious and modern. Views look out
over the city’s distant mountains, or over the gardens below, which
lead to a curved pool, and the CHI Spa by Shangri-La.
Here the octagonal reception area welcomes guests and consultation cards reveal each one’s dosha, which dictates which oil is best
for the treatment. Then a relaxing stroll along the walkways leads to
individual villas, where changing rooms open onto large treatment
areas, with outside baths and showers, surrounded by greenery and
pools. The Lanna Blend is the spa’s local offering of oil massage
ending with hot stone – soothing and deliciously oily.
Rooms from Bht6,950; 75 mins Lanna Blend Massage Bht2,500
www.shangri-la.com
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Soaring Thai turrets glinting bright gold in the sunshine look down over the
colonial buildings, wooden villas, an organic garden and paddy fields guarded by
scarecrows and buffalos at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi. The whole makes up
a wonderland of delightful details, where literally no artifact, stone, tile or cobbled
walkway has gone unturned in the quest for the perfect time-worn Thai palace.
The colonial blocks, with more than a hint of Raffles about them, are eminently
comfortable, while the villas complete with private plunge pools and Thai salas set
over the paddies, take luxury up another gear. Don’t miss out on a dinner surrounded
by candles at Le Grand Lanna.
And then you have the 3,100spm spa. The Dheva Spa and Wellness Centre, inspired by a Burmese temple in Mandalay, is home to18 unbelievably spacious spa
rooms and suites for Thai treatments as well as those following the Ayurvedic doctor’s
recommendations. Start your spa journey with an hour’s consultation according to the
ancient philosophy, when Dr Sunita gently explains the basic elements, and suggests
ways to improve your lifestyle and overall health – always welcome. Then indulge in
a healing treatment; choose anything from Thai, Swedish, Indian and head massages,
Arabic Rhassoul and scrubs to watsu in their beautiful dedicated pool. Special is their
Lanna Massage, including tok sen, the application of a gavel of tamarind wood to tap
along the muscles, hypnotically easing tension. Coming soon are retreats focusing in
on guests’ spiritual, creative and emotional wellbeing.
Suites and villas from Bht16,800++; 120 mins Royal Thai Massage is Bht4,000
www.mandarinoriental.com/chiangmai
this page: The scarecrows look after the rice fields at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi. opposite page: The relaxation corridor
at The Chedi Chiang Mai is a study in stylishness.
opening pages: The watsu pool is a sanctuary of beauty, at the Mandarin Oriental’s Dheva Spa and Wellness Centre, courtesy of
the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi.
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The Chedi Chiang Mai
Sleek, chic, typically Chedi, The Chedi Chiang Mai is a modern
epitome of clean lines, ordered architecture and sumptuous details,
where art, artifacts and even the ivy growing up the bright white
walls adds to the perfect surroundings. By day lotus flowers float
on pools, replaced by candles at night. And the long pool and
line of lounges and umbrellas face the river, lapping up the cool
breeze, as do the balconies of the 84 rooms and suites of open
plan stylishness.
The Spa takes relaxation to an art form with its corridor of
beds looking out at the pool through swathes of green water reeds.
Treatment rooms are so big you think they might echo, with Thai
mattresses getting the Chedi treatment, as well as double rooms of
beds, granite baths and textiles in chocolate brown. Using Ytsara
and the brand’s own label products that fall into earth, water, wind
and fire categories, popular treatments are The Chedi Massage, their
signature of eclectic massage styles including smooth Swedish, Thai,
Japanese Shiatsu, Balinese and Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi, or try the
Warm Stone Massage with its chakra point work. The scrumptious
Traditional Thai Facial uses a combination of cucumber, watermelon, brown sugar, honey, egg white and yoghurt.
Rooms from Bht11,440++; 60 minutes Aromatherapy Massage
Bht2,000
www.ghmhotels.com
Mae Ai
MYANMAR
Fang
Chai Prakan
Wiang Haeng
CHIANG
RAI
Chiang Dao
MAEHONGSON
Phrao
Mae Taeng
San Sai
CHIANG MAI
Chiang Mai
Hang Dong
Doi Saket
Saraphi
San Pa Tong
Mae Chaem
LAMPHUN
LAMPANG
Doi Tao
Omkoi
TAK
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spadestination
Tamarind Village
A tunnel of bamboo leads off the main street of Rajdamnern Road
where the Sunday market draws the crowds, to the friendly and cosy
Tamarind Village. The pool offers the first glimpse of the property,
while behind the reception grows the huge 200-year-old tamarind tree
that gives the resort its name. The interiors’ theme throughout is based
on the hill tribes, with rich dark red textiles within the 40 beautifully
designed rooms and suites of antique wooden furniture. Stunning
photography adorns the walls of the Ruen Tamarind restaurant where
the food is sublime. And you can take your own great photos at the
resort’s activities such as offering alms at the nearby temple, hand
weaving demonstrations and traditional Thai folk music.
In The Village Spa, rituals begin with a foot wash outside your
room. Once you’re inside and changed, the spacious rooms are
home to treatments like The Village Signature Massage, a blend of
hands and heated compresses for muscle and mental relaxation,
the Ayurvedic style Head Massage, herbal, hydrating or balancing
facials, scrubs and wraps. Unusually spa treatments, like oil massage
and mani-pedis, are also offered to kids, making Tamarind Village
an ideal family getaway.
Lanna Room from Bht4,200++; 60 mins Traditional Thai Massage
Bht1,200++
www.tamarindvillage.com
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Sofitel Chiang Mai
Set on the Ping River, the Sofitel Chiang Mai is an elegant sanctuary
with design flourishes such as the Buddha perched in front of a bright
red background. The 74 rooms and suites are well over average size,
interiors tasteful with dark wood and splashes of colour, including
high-tech tv-based entertainment and an LCD in the bathroom.
Balconies look down over the pool (with retro swim-up bar perfect
for ordering a refreshing coconut), the restaurant and the river where a
scorpion boat bobs with the waves waiting to take you for a trip.
Downstairs, the Aspara Spa, a brand that originated in Singapore
(think The Fullerton and Goodwood Park), has five huge double
rooms decorated with hill tribe textiles, and signature therapies like
the Aroma Meridian Massage and Orange or Lavender Sugar Scrubs.
For those that can’t tear themselves away from the pool, 20-minute
foot or neck and shoulder massages can be taken on your lounge
bed – the epitome of indulgence.
Rooms from 5,500Bht; 60 mins Traditional Thai Massage Bht1,500++
www.sofitel.com/asia, www.spacare.com.sg
this page: A therapist waits for her guest at The Village Spa,Tamarind Village.
opposite page clockwise from top left: The view from the lobby at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai;
the serene Buddha at the Sofitel Chiang Mai; meditating at the Panviman Chiang Mai Resort; the simple,
sweet Thai massage area at Duang Champa; a lantern floats into the air at The Gallery; paddy fields catch
the light at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi; coconut soup at Tamarind Village; timeless interiors at
The Oasis Spa; the spa room, curtains wafting in the breeze at Rachamankha.
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spadestination
dusitD2 chiang mai
Full of surprises, this is one hotel that knows how to keep you on your
toes. Across from the iconic night bazaar, it wholeheartedly rejects the
usual Thai style, choosing all sleek lines and modernity. Arrive at the
bewitching hour of 2pm and you’ll be treated to a dance show by the
staff as they change shift. The lobby is part reception area, part mix
bar, and part moxie restaurant, with designer furniture mapping out the
different areas. The 131 rooms are, of course, sleek and detail oriented,
with more surprises served up in the form of fortune cookies on your
pillow each night and select gifts every day of your stay.
The DFiT health club is the bright airy gym where yoga classes need
to be organised in advance, and the bijou pool is as sleek and sexy as
the rest of the hotel. For ultimate relaxation, the gem of the hotel is the
Devarana Spa. Beautifully designed modern Thai interiors include beds,
Jacuzzis and ample changing areas. The Lanna Body Scrub is special
to the Chiang Mai branch (there’s another in Bangkok’s Dusit Hotel),
which cleanses and tones, great to follow with the Traditional Herbal
Compress & Thai Massage. The Ultimate Glow three-hour package of
facial, scrub and massage hits the spot, and specialty Earl Grey Tea or
Latte baths sound intriguing.
Divine Studio Suite + Spa package, 3 days, 2 nights, Bht14,500++ until
Oct 31 2008. 90 mins Swedish Massage Bht2,700++
www.d2hotels.com, www.dusit.com, www.devarana.com
Rachamankha
When an architect father and designer son team together to create
a hotel, the Rachamankha is the beautiful result. Fashioned after a
traditional temple in the Lampang province, it’s so delightful that
both father and son live on-site. Symmetry is prevalent, rooms are
traditional Lanna chic with Chinese furniture and a restful lack of
clutter. Antiques are everywhere in the art (three original Picassos
no less) and furnishings, while the beautifully behaved trees and
plants add to the ambience.
No dedicated spa here, but a double treatment room rests above
the pool house where white curtains waft in the breeze. Follow a
Thai, reflexology or hot compress massage with a visit to the Thai
museum, then step downstairs to The Restaurant, where you can dig
in to the Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and European dishes outside in
the courtyard in the cooler months.
Rooms from Bht5,500; Traditional Thai Massage Bht900.
www.rachamankha.com, www.relaischateaux.com
this page: Perfection in stillness at the Rachamankha’s pool.
opposite page: The petal-strewn bath and spa room at the Devarana Spa, dusitd2; the tempting Thai
massage bed at Panviman Chiang Mai Resort and Spa.
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Chiang Mai Oasis Spa
One of the city’s favourite day spas, this branch of The Oasis Spa
is a stone’s throw from the famous Wat Prasing in the old town,
(with another branch just outside the old city walls). Soothing and
fragrant, as soon as you walk off the street – or alight from the
spa’s complimentary pick up from your hotel – you’ll choose your
treatment in reception, and then the friendly staff will walk you to
your individual villa along the teak walkways. Small, but sweet,
the six rooms here include an outside shower. Special is their
two-hour rebalancing and restoring Lanna Music Therapy Gold
Massage, where special music creates the background to this fourhand massage with aromatherapy oil infused with gold flakes. Hair
treatments, as well as wraps, Pevonia and Biodroga facials, baths
and up to four-hour packages are all part of the menu.
60 mins Aroma Hot Oil Massage Bht1,350
www.chiangmaioasis.com
Villa Duang Champa
The tiny Duang Champa Boutique Hotel stopped me in my tracks
as I walked along the central street of Rajdamnern Road. A visually
cool sanctuary of whites with light blue accents, the street side
restaurant leads to just 12 rooms, all refreshingly light and bright.
At the back in the garden is a tiny spa for Thai massage and foot
massage alfresco on the ground level, and upstairs a double room
for scrubs, wraps, massages and masks.
Rooms from Bht2,150++; 60 mins Thai massage Bht550
www.duangchampa.com
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spadestination
out of town
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
To get out of the city for a few days, the Four Seasons’ villas overlook
an emerald-green valley of paddy fields, with the background of
cicadas and tropical birds calling each other, setting a scene that is
pure rural yet with total luxury. Rooms are rated according to view,
some with private pools. while residences are so big it’s a challenge
to occupy every room during your stay.
A zigzag skywalk leads through the trees to The Spa, where the
reception is full of cultural artifacts, beautiful coffee table books and
art. Spa suites lead from here through wooden doors, with other
rooms further away, where the popular Lanna Thai Sampler begins
with a foot scrub and a change into Thai pants and top for a wonderful
Thai massage, followed by herbal steam and a shower, and finally
a facial and cup of ginger and honey elixir. After this you’ll be as
relaxed and mellow as the surrounding countryside.
Rooms from Bht18,000, 60 mins Herbal Oil Massage Bht3,600
www.fourseasons.com/chiangmai
this page: The beautiful rustic paddy fields and a spa treatment at the stunning spa, both courtesy of
the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. opposite page: The tropical grounds at Tao Garden; Swim straight from
your villa courtesy of the Panviman Chiang Mai Resort.
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Tao Garden
A gem of a retreat, this is the place for a total healing makeover.
Renowned for his expertise in chi nei tsang, Master Mantak Chia
originally created Tao Garden for his students of Healing Tao and the
Universal Tao System. Now a resort teaching guests about striving
for clean cells and clean blood through his mantra ‘good air, good
water and good food’, it sees a loyal following checking in for
detox programs that include medi-spa practices such as live blood
analysis, Nutri-Energetics Analysis, heart biofeedback, colonics and
doctor consultations as well as chi nei tsang, acupuncture, tai chi,
chi gong and meditation, various massages, Ayurvedic therapies
and far more. The holistic programs focus as much on your energy,
intentions, lifestyle changes and nutrition as medical aspects.
Accommodation comes in affordable four, three, two or one-star
options, while the central restaurant takes advantage of surrounding
organic farms, the underground spring water offering alkaline water and
deeply healing and delicious foods offered according to blood type.
Just talking to the staff here is an enlightening journey into
healing theory, and one or two weeks of fresh air, de-stressing,
treatments, programs, holistic exercise, health drinks and fresh
food is oh-so-tempting. The doctors are enthusiastic with the follow up, providing much needed support when guests are back in
the big bad world.
Rooms from Bht2,200 (1-star) or Bht2,800 (4 star) which includes
various activities and meals, but not treatments or programs; 60
mins Chi Nei Tsang Abdominal Detox Therapy Bht1,890
www.tao-garden.com, www.universal-tao.com
AKA Spa, www.aka-spa.com
Angsana Spa, Greenview Resort, www.greenviewresort.com
Ban Sabai, www.ban-sabai.com
Sabun Nga Spa, Ayatana Hamlet and Spa, www.sabunngaspa.com
Jirung Health Resort & Spa, www.jirungresort.com
Northern Heritage Resort & Spa, www.nhrs.co.th
Suan Bua Hotel, Resort and Spa, www.suanbua.com
Spa Mantra, www.spamantra-international.com
RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort, www.rarinjinda.com
Veranda Chiang Mai, www.verandaresortandspa.com/chiangmai
And for more information on the region – places to stay, where
to go, festivals and activities – check out the Tourism Authority of
Thailand, www.tourismthailand.org
practicalities
November to March are the cooler peak months.
The Gallery is old school cool for food, drinks and jazz by the river
The House is the city’s sleek hot spot for food and drinks
Ban Suan is the second generation independant version of Le Grand
Lanna at the Mandarin Oriental
The night bazaar cranks up the retail volume every night; the
Saturday Wualai market and Sunday markets are lots of fun for
jewelry of all kinds, traditional and modern fashion, lanterns and
bags, knick-knacks and too much more to mention.
Trekking is just the beginning here. Elephant treks, trips to visit hill
tribes (which are becoming controversial due to the sheer numbers
of tourists tramping through), rafting, bungy jumping, The Gibbon
Experience – you can book a trip on almost every street corner.
Panviman Chiang mai Spa Resort
A new resort high up in the hills of Mae Rim, just further than the
Four Seasons, the Panviman is set on the side of a hill, the open air
lobby, restaurant, rooms and suites lording it over the rest of the
resort and its plethora of greenery and pools. A buggy does all the
heavy climbing, delivering you to your rooms, the best of which
are the Viman Pool Villas: dark wood and Thai textiles contrast
with the Jacuzzi and spa areas inside, opening out to generous
private pools.
It’s all downhill from there, geographically. Explore the resort
by walking down to the lagoon pools beneath the open-air gym
positioned to catch the breeze, past the yoga pavilion and along
the meditation cave curtained by a hypnotic waterfall, to the spa.
First try the hydro areas with Jacuzzi and Vichy shower, steam and
sauna, then book into the spa suites or cross the stepping stones
to the line of open air Thai massage beds, each sheltered from
the next by panels of art. Thai Yoga Massage memorably begins
with the therapist giving thanks to her Master Shivagakomarapaj.
The food massage area looks back up over the ponds to the top
of the hill. Deep tissue and detoxifying massages, scrubs and
wraps using ingredients like Himalayan salt, charcoal, mud and
chlorophyll and plenty of packages with steam, flower bath and
therapy combinations are highlights.
Rooms from Bht6,000++, 50mins Sense Reviver Massage Bht1,450
www.panviman.com
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