Spa Stories - Thailand

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Spa at the Rembrandt Hotel - by John Borthwick

Good massage abounds in Thailand and, as anywhere, the most expensive is not necessarily the best — indeed, is sometimes far from it.

By-pass the lavish marble and gold taps found in some pamper parlours, and the quality of your core experience still comes down to the skill, strength and sensitivity of your masseuse/ masseur. As the manager of an excellent spa resort once told me, “A good spa isn’t just about how many orchids you can arrange on a towel.”

Enter the Rembrandt Hotel’s newly refurbished spa. In very tasteful surroundings, yet not over-the-top, and as tranquil as some forgotten pond, I surrender to the ministrations of Khun Noi. One Thai massage, please. With hands as soft as chamois (and strong enough I suspect to loosen wheel-nuts with her fingertips) she gently sets to work on my back and shoulders. “I like strong, please,” I say. No problem. For the next hour she maintains firm, diligent pressure — unlike many masseuses who slacken off again after five minutes — turning my shoulder knots to noodles and most tensions to memories. True, it’s an hour of targeted prodding, pressure and stretching, but minimal pain, plenty of gain.

The treatment room is serene, with subtle lighting and aromas — a cavern of inner-city calm. There’s an interesting little tent-like arrangement within which one may sit and be steamed, something like a human dim-sim, I imagine, but agreeably, therapeutically so. However, I’m here for the basic, authentic Thai treatment. While the Spa at Rembrandt offers a wide menu of Thai, Swedish, Aroma Hot Oil, Hot Stone, couple massage and other treatments, I don’t notice any of the daffy exotics sometimes found elsewhere — the Afro-Tibetan fusion re-tune, the Ayurvedic Mongolian chakra trance thingy, and such — that strain credulity. I’m happy with Noi’s down-to-earth expertise where I’m kneaded like bread, gently stretched and prodded in strategic pressure points. If she were a painter she’d be a pointillist.

Spa File

The brand new Spa at Rembrandt, along with an equally new fitness centre and refurbished pool is part of the hotel's recent $10 million renovation. Operating hours are daily from 09.00 to 22.00. A one-hour treatment (Traditional Thai Massage) starts from a very reasonable $30. The Rembrandt Hotel is an excellent, five-star, 405-room retreat just off central Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road, a short walk from Asoke skytrain and Sukhumvit metro stations.

Address: Rembrandt Hotel, Soi 18, Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, Thailand..

Rembrandt Hotel Spa. www.rembrandtbkk.com/facilities/spa