The Four-Hour Spa Treatment

On Thursday night, the hotel where I stayed had a little Christmas party – it’s not their holiday, but Thais love to celebrate occasions. I went for a little while, and socialized with some of the other guests Friday morning at breakfast. Then it was on to the post office to mail all of my souvenirs to Martha so I could mail them to their intended recipients when I got to her house. When all was said and done, I guess I could have bought lots more, though I felt I was buying a lot at the time.


Then I met Linda’s friend Linda! She had been a PCV in Thailand, and then she went home to California for a while, and then she decided she was meant to live in Thailand for the rest of her life and she had to figure out a way to do it. She taught for a while, and then she hired teachers for the school (which is how she met my friend Linda, who had lived there for nine months, teaching), and now she works for the American consulate (well, plus now she works for Junior Achievement!). We met at the chocolate place and had chocolate drinks and then she showed me some favorite places of the locals – a market and a celadon showroom. I really enjoyed meeting her!



And then it was on to the Oasis Spa, where I had booked a four-hour spa treatment (yep, no trek, but as I said, I made the most of my time). See www.chiangmaioasis.com - I had the Paradise of Oasis package. The Thai massages I had been getting on a regular basis are clothing-on stretches, not hands-on deep-tissue, so it’s different. At the Oasis Spa I had a private treatment bungalow with its own outdoor shower and a halftime snack. First I had an herbal steam (and for maybe the first time, I wasn’t ready to leave before the steam time was up). Then a honey, sesame and cereal scrub. Next, a white herbal clay body wrap (note – I could have chosen Moroccan red clay but I chose Thai clay instead). This was followed by an aroma oil massage. And finally, a Royal Thai facial. All for 5500 baht – about ten times more than the regular Thai massages but so much less than an equivalent treatment would have cost in the U.S.! Besides, though I had had a lot of treatments, I hadn’t really splurged.



On to the airport. My travel luck had been great until then, but this time my flight was delayed an hour and a half – in other words, it left after I would have arrived in Bangkok had it been on time. And there I was in the only non-adorable non-boutique Bangkok Air waiting space! That’s okay – I had things to read, and I was incredibly relaxed! Before I go, some night market pictures…