A Great Cheap Day Spa in Bangkok! Foot Massage!!

I don’t wait too long for an excuse to go get a foot massage in Thailand. A bus ride of just a few minutes from where I stay in On Nut (Own Newt) is Pimmalai Spa. Set in a quiet and classy Lanna-style building not far from the On Nut SkyTrain station, it’s got that oasis in the big city thing going for it. That and upgraded quality from the average joint without much of an upgrade in price. Consider this March special: one hour of foot massage/reflexology, one hour of traditional Thai massage (read here), and one hour of oil massage (more or less what most people consider a typical muscle massage.) That’s three hours of pampering for – wait for it – 1050 baht. OK, wait for it some more. That’s just a few cents shy of $30 USD. Yes, it’s a special offer but actually only about $3-5 off the usual price.

I made an appointment before 1 p.m. (for a cool 10% off) and stopped in for a one-hour foot massage. (about $7) The building is set back from the busy Sukhumvit Road between Soi 81 and Soi 83 and the property is lined with greenery. So taking a seat by the massive plate-glass window I sat in air-conditioned comfort with the illusion of the jungle just outside. It began to rain and the pattering of a downpour on a tin roof somewhere upstairs made some good white noise and the gentle rumble of thunder, muted by the windows, was a nice touch as well. Even the frogs were out hopping through the gathering puddles in the parking lot.

The massage ends with a bit of back and shoulders massage, a couple minutes of scalp massage, and the arms and hands. And at less than $10 this ought to be done at least once a week, no? Call it research.