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On my last trip to Phuket, Thailand, we rented a car and drove around this popular Thai tourist island. One of our destination was Phuket Town.

Phuket Town is an old town and the administrative centre on Phuket island. There are distinct Muslim, Thai and Chinese enclaves and it is clear that Chinese influence in the town is obvious with a good number of Chinese temples and Chinese old-time architecture houses.

Phuket Town is off the regular tourist route and the entire town was sleepy and quiet on the Sunday that we drove in. Tourists tend to spend more time in the beach where almost everything is available as well rather then to come to town. Tourists who do come to Phuket Town tend to congregate downtown where a few modern shopping malls, large bargain-price markets, fast food restaurants and souvenir shops were gathered.

Among these few busy streets were a couple of small but modern and clean spas. These spas offered almost similar type of treatments and prices were very competitive - even lower than those available at the beach.

I guess it was because there were only a few streets in Phuket town that tourists congregate so the local spa operators have no choice but to stay competitive. I was particularly attracted to one of the promotion package that Kim Spa, one of these small spas, offered. The spa and massage promotion package consists of a body scrub (60 mins), choice of massage (60 mins) and a facial treatment (60 mins) - a total of 3 hours treatment for the unbelievable low price of 900 Baht or US$30!

I was in Spa heaven and chose to try out Kim Spa immediately! Kim Spa has a nicely decorated reception and rest area. On the first floor, it has about 10 cosy massage chairs for foot reflexology and a small corner for a foot bath. The 2nd floor is for Thai massage (beds are on floor) and 3rd floor is for facial and other body massage treatments.

My hubby opted for a foot massage and Thai massage for 2 hours. I opted for the 3 hours spa promotion package. While waiting for my masseur to prepare the treatment room, I whispered to my hubby that I couldn’t believe a body scrub treatment can last for 60 minutes. I kept telling myself … how much time can one person scrub the body? Will my skin drop off??

Shortly, we were led by our masseurs to our treatment rooms. My hubby started his foot bath on the 1st floor which is an open area foot massage area. I was led to the 3rd floor which had private treatment room and en suite shower. My masseur greeted me with the traditional Thai way “sawadee ka” with both hands together and bowed.

Although language was a barrier, we had no problem “communicating” with each other by sign and body language. The masseur indeed did a thorough body scrub and for sure she took more than 40 minutes before heading me to to the shower. My choice of Swedish massage was, in my opinion, average but the facial treatment was indeed refreshing. The masseur went through 2 to 3 rounds of scrubbing and cleansing my face. She then placed many layers of cucumbers on my face that made me feel very “cool” and relaxed. The smell of the cucumber were so refreshing. The facial ended with a cold mask and facial massage.

When my treatments were completed, the masseur led me to the reception area to relax and enjoy their complimentary floral tea. Overall, I must say this place is value for money, environment is neat and clean and most importantly, the staff were friendly and not pushy.

However, my husband who is an addict of hard massage was not impressed with their Thai massage and reflexology skills. He claim that the Thai and foot massage here were “too soft” and obviously toned down to cater to the many farangs(Thai for Caucasian foreigners) tourists in Phuket. He feels that shabby run-down massage shops run by old ladies offer the most true and authentic ancient Thai massage with the accompanying body-distorting poses, back standing and bone cracking twists. He feels that this is the ultimate form of massage! Funny guy!

Location of Kim Spa
Phuket Town, Phuket, Thailand
Size: 3 storey shop units with massage chairs on the ground floor and individual rooms on 2nd and 3rd level
Facilities: Toilet, shower and rest area
Friendliness: Polite staff and good massage therapists.
Pricing: Starts from US$20 for a facial, wrap, bath or body massage. Various spa and massage packages available and starts from US$60.

One lazy sunny morning, my hubby and I had just finished a hearty breakfast along Mohammad Sultan Road, Singapore and happened to pass by some traditional massage shops along River Valley Road, just besides the Tank Road Indian temple. There were large, colourful banners advertising the shops and you just can’t miss them. Being in an extremely relaxed mood, we decided to try out one of the massage shops.

This massage shop is located in a two level pre-war shophouses. The friendly receptionist introduced their available massages and prices. Both my hubby and I opted for their signature massage… Balinese and Thai massage respectively.

This is a no-frill massage palor or boutique and hence does not offer the any type of spa facilities. Their main focus of business is Therapeutic Massage. In Singapore and Asia, there are many of such type of massage shops that focused strictly on massages and not spa frills and facilities. Personally, we prefer this type of no-frill massage shops as prices tend to be at least 50% lesser than a spa-type of massage boutique.

We were lead by the massage therapists to our respective mattresses as they do not have individual rooms. This place is like a typical Thai massage shop one can find in Thailand (i.e. one row of beds or mattresses with separated curtains in a common area). At least they bother to separate the male and female customers!

I opted for the Balinese massage as I wanted something soft and gentle. Balinese massage uses a combination of gentle stretches, acupressure and aromatherapy oils to stimulate the flow of blood, oxygen and ‘qi’ (energy) around your body, and bring deep relaxation and wellness.

Balinese massage uses a variety of techniques including skin rolling, kneading and stroking, acupressure and reflexology.

Overall, my therapist was not too bad even though she is Thai and not Balinese except that she was rather rough when she moved my leg, arms etc. Other than that, her skills was quite good as she ensured every part of your body was massaged.

My hubby loves Thai massage as it gives him the ‘kick’ when the therapist stretches/bend his body. So whenever we are in Thailand, he will try at least a few rounds of hard Thai massage.

Thai Massage is also called Thai yoga massage because the therapist uses his or her hands, knees, legs, and feet to move you into a series of yoga-like stretches. Many people say Thai massage is like doing yoga without any work! Thai massage uses passive stretching and pressure along the body’s energy lines to increase flexibility, relieve muscle and joint tension and balance the body’s energy systems. It is both deeply relaxing and energizing but for many people, especially first timers, they may find Thai massage less relaxing and more painful than other forms of massage.

His therapist was from Northern Thailand. After the session, I asked for my hubby’s comments. The only words he said was that he slept all the way during the session! On one hand, some people may think that the therapist was so good that the recipient actually slept through the treatment. This will sound right if you are doing Shiatsu, Aroma or Swedish massage. Unfortunately, it’s Thai Massage…. whereby the therapist literally uses her whole body, including her elbow, knee and feet to move, twist, turn and contort your body into various yoga-like positions…. so how can one sleep? Hmmmm……

Location of Spa: River Valley Road, Singapore
Size of Spa: 20 beds in common rooms
Friendliness: Friendly receptionist and masseurs
Facilities: Minimal. Shower room available.
Pricing: Minimum SGD50 for one hour session