Spas in Phuket
There is a wide variety of spas in Phuket offering a range of treatments. From facials to fasting, massage to meditation, rustic to red carpet, Phuket spas can pamper, relax and rejuvenate you.
More and more visitors are including an afternoon in a spa as part of their holiday plans here, and its not-surprising, the cost of this luxury is far less than typical prices in your home country. The Thai are particularly good at pampering and health care, and dozens of very professional spas have opened in recent years offering all sorts of exotic packages. They range from ancient ayurvedic practices to a modern use of natural ingredients and treatments, everything from a strawberry body scrub to aroma oils dripped onto your forehead!
Here are few we recommend, your hotel is likely to have a spa too, but shop around for a package that suits your purse and preference, it could cost you anywhere from 500 baht for a particular massage through to 5000 baht for a multi-treatment day.
Thai-Style Natural Healing
Experience Thai-Style Natural Healing. A massage to restore balance between the elements. A herbal sauna to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. A herbal pack to calm nerves and redirect energy. All this may sound very New Agley in the West, but it has been part of daily life here for centuries.
Before the arrival of modern medicine, herbalists filled the dual role of doctor and pharmacist. Originally, village doctors were monks or former monks, since Buddhist temples were the center of learning, not only of religion but of more worldly matters such as astrology and medicine.
Thai traditional medicine holds that the body has four elements: wind, water, earth and fire, and ill health results from an imbalance between them. To remedy an ailment, the village “doctor” would make a herbal pack for the patient to ingest, rub onto the skin, or add to a steam compress. Another major component of traditional medicine is energy. When the energy lines are blocked, the individual will become ill, physically or emotionally. A massage or sauna would be prescribed.
Experience Thai Massage
Traditional Thai massage is a proven physical therapy that dates back to ancient India sometime before the lifetime of Buddha. It has been practiced here for centuries, and many swear by it as an effective cure for common ailments such as aches and pains, fevers and nervous strains.
Traditional massage reached the peak of popularity in the early 18th century. King Rama III, great-grandfather of the present monarch, had all available knowledge on the subject gathered and inscribed on stone slabs. These now stand in a corner of the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), along with stone figures of rishis demonstrating various massage postures. You can try this ancient therapy in its original form at the temple; masseuses trained at Wat Pho massage school offer their service seven days a week at very reasonable prices.
Today's massage therapy has multi-level benefits. First and foremost is the significant relief from stress massage provides. In addition, it helps maintain flexibility, reduces the chance of injury, improves athletic performance, and re-energizes body and mind providing
greater alertness and productivity. The highly trained therapists offer a variety of techniques including Thai, Swedish, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Sports Massage and etc.
Thai Massage:
An ancient form of massage unique to Thailand using deep-tissue, pressure point and stretching techniques to reduce stress and relieve muscle soreness. Recommend for those who prefer a firm massage.
Swedish Massage:
Using a combination of various movements including friction, effleurage and kneading, this traditional method of massage loosens tight muscles, soothes sore muscles, increases circulation and improves over-all skin and muscles tone. Pressure can range from light to very firm.
Aromatherapy Massage:
Using essential oils by Jurlique, blended with pure vegetable carrier oils are applied to specific areas for detoxification and stress relief. This unique massage will help to
soothe the body, mind and spirit.
Sport Massage:
This special deep-tissue massage is designed to relieve and prevent muscle soreness and ease tired joints that result from over exertion or intensive exercise. Ideal after an exhaustive work-out.
Most hotels rated three stars and above offer traditional massage as part of their health and fitness services. All the spa resorts include it in their therapy programs. Despite common misconceptions, clothes stay on the whole time. If you are interested in learning the techniques, Wat Pho’s massage school offers a 10-day course that costs 6,000 baht. Contact the school, in the temple’s compounds, Chetupon Road, or call (662) 225-4771.
