Thai culture, which has long had historically influence from Indian culture, has longstanding tradition of massage and wellness techniques. In fact, Thai massage is a centuries old practice that is based on stimulating the flow of life force through the body via sib sen, or energy lines. Consequently there are a number of opportunities in Thailand to visit a day spa in order to experience Thai massage or check yourself into a world-famous spa and wellness retreat that can design a treatment package, including meals or fasting and holistic or ayurvedic treatments, especially for you.

In fact the range of options is uncountable. Foot massage and Thai massage parlors, offering their services for as little as 100 baht per hour are found on the streets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, as well as along the beaches of Phuket, Samui, and Pattaya.

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INDIGENOUS OR SIGNATURE TREATMENTS

Medical Tourism - With the increasing costs of medical care in the developed world, more travelers are realizing the affordable cost of high quality medical services in Thailand. Including airfare and recovery time –which may even be spent relaxing on the beach- nearly all medical procedures are far less expensive in Thailand than in the west. Western trained doctors and state of the art technology are found in many of Bangkok’s internationally certified hospitals and waiting times for procedures are much shorter than in many western hospitals. Popular products and services for medical tourism include:

Prescription Pharmaceuticals: While many pharmacies in Thailand do not require prescriptions for drugs sold over the counter, even those requiring a doctor’s prescription are generally much cheaper in Thailand than in fully developed countries.

Dental Care: Many Thai dentists have either studied or practiced abroad and are able to perform dental surgery for a fraction of the cost in the west. Routine dental procedures, including fillings, cleanings and teeth whitening, are far less expensive and are easy to arrange around any holiday to Thailand.

Cosmetic Surgery: Thailand is one of the leaders in the world for many cosmetic surgical procedures, including LASIK eye surgery, botox and collagen injections, face lifts and hair removal.

Medical Procedures: Numerous hospitals with ISO 9001 accreditation provide outstanding medical treatment and reasonable prices for the most invasive of surgeries. Multi-lingual staff, doctors trained in the United States and European countries, and state-of-art facilities and technology are a few of the reasons to come to Thailand for back, knee, or even heart surgery. The fact that many of Bangkok’s hospitals exude Thai hospitality and are designed like five star hotels should make your recovery from a successful surgery a pleasant one.
 

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REGIONS

Each region in Thailand features inclusive spas, which fuse Thai massage with western techniques to provide oil massages with natural herbs, such as lemongrass, in an environment filled with ornate décor and impeccable service.

Luxury spas and wellness retreats in Phuket, Hua Hin, and Koh Phangan were established for both health and pampering, and range from prohibitively expensive and exclusive retreats designed for global celebrities to beachside resorts that give yoga instruction overlooking the sea and communal beachside dinners.

 

Bangkok – this city’s spas offer ancient and modern treatments from Eastern and Western worlds and are among the most stylish and evocative havens for wellness. Typically, these intimate oases flow with natural light, creating a very calming Zen mood. Private treatment suites with experienced therapists can help guests seek inner peace and ease away urban strain.

Chaing Mai - surrounded by forested hills and lush river valleys, Chiang Mai and its environment are home to several day hotel and resort spas. Some of the spas are inspired by the area’s magnificent temple architecture, becoming chapels of serenity. In the cooler months, certain spas warm up treatment rooms with old log fireplaces. Following ancient ritual practice, the treatments offered here use traditional rural herbs, spices and aromatic oils.

Hua Hin - home to Asia’s first internationally acclaimed health resort, it has quickly established itself as a location where privacy is paramount, attracting both tourists and international VIPs alike. The 5 mile-long beach resort has many spas which offer traditional style Thai treatments, outdoor pavilions with lily ponds that blend perfectly with the surrounding countryside and golf courses, providing a relaxing scene for all visitors.

Krabi - a phenomenal prehistoric landscape with craggy limestone stacks teetering skyward from the water; Krabi and Phang-nga Bay are lands that time forgot. Truly the stuff of dreams, the crystal blue waters are home to abundance marine life and thriving coral reefs. New to the spa landscape, Krabi’s remote eco-friendly escape is a stunning landscape of powdery white beaches with a growing number of splendid spas.

Ko Samui- south of Bangkok, in the Gulf of Thailand, is the beautiful palm fringed island of Ko Samui. Rapidly becoming Thailand’s busiest spa destination, this popular island has a whole host of hotel-based luxurious pampering spots, tastefully presented individual day spas, as well as long established retreats to spiritual awareness.

Phuket - with some of Thailand’s best infrastructure, as well as several of the world’s most luxurious hotels, Phuket has everything the international traveler would ever desire. This romantic beach hideaway is home to The Banyan Tree Phuket Conde Nast’s world’s best spa. Moreover, the island’s other spas are constantly picking up top honors from leisure industry pundits for their sublime ambience and service. The island is also home to one of Asia’s few spa academies, and is a supreme location to learn the art of holistic health.

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WELLNESS CLASSES

Meditation Classes - As a Buddhist nation, Thailand is full of spectacular temples, the purpose of which is for Thais to devout themselves to the principals passed down by the Buddha, nee Siddhartha Gautama. As Thailand is such a welcoming country and Buddhism is a non-restrictive religion, it is easy for visitors to study Buddhism and learn meditation at a number of temples and meditation retreats around the country.

While those simply curious about Buddhism can attend “monk chats” at Wat Chedi Luang or Wat Suan Dok in Chiang Mai, these and other temples allow visitors to check themselves in for a week or longer of intensive meditation study.

While certainly intriguing, these meditation retreats are not for those unprepared for serious self reflection: the purpose of meditation is to clear the mind and achieve clarity and inner peace; consequently, most meditation programs do not allow students to talk during their stay, with the exception of meditative chanting and discussions with senior monks to help their meditation techniques. Furthermore, by its very nature, meditation can be somewhat mundane, and so visitors are expected to follow the routines and procedures quite thoroughly if they wish to genuinely learn to meditate properly and achieve the most from their experience.

For those unable to commit to a remote meditation retreat from which they cannot easily leave, Wat Mahatat, near Bangkok’s Grand Palace, allows visitors to study meditation no less strictly, but with more flexible time requirements.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND