Bossabakorn Spa Day, Krabi

It was another clammy, humid day that seems to be the norm in the south of Thailand at this time of the year.  You know the one, the air seems thick with humidity and life in Ao Nang seems to visibly slow to a lethargic crawl as even the Thai residents fan themselves and talk about the heat.  The day demands that stress and movement of any kind are restricted to the bare minimum, so it seemed as good a time as any to lie down in a cool room and have someone rub oils over me!

We drove the short distance over to the shell cemetery junction, just outside of Ao Nang beside the Monday Market, an arrived at the doors of the Bossabakorn Spa.  These new kids on the block have only been opened a short while and are another welcome addition to the many spas and massage centers that are cropping up in the area.

The entrance to the building was impressive in itself, with a display of frangipanis, water features bubbling quietly and a gravel path leading up to the mirrored doors that already gave off an aura of tranquility.  Upon entering, the noise of the outside world was gone in an instant, replaced by the soothing sounds of piped music, the scent of lemongrass in the air and the welcoming voice of an impeccably dressed Thai lady who invited us to sit in sumptuous chairs whilst we perused the ‘menu’ of treatments they had on offer.

As we took the weight off our feet, the cool breeze of the air conditioning dried the sweat on our skin, and we quenched our thirst with the cold glass of iced tea and cool scented towel to mop our brows.  The was a refreshing change from the muggy heat outside the door!

We were guided through the various treatments and we settled on a couple of their signature specialities.  I was to have the ‘Four Elements Massage’, where a therapist would assess my ‘element’, be it earth, wind, fire or water (I’m water, apparently!) and use specific oils to complement this.  Pam went for the ‘Remineralising Body Wrap’ that promised to be the ultimate beauty treatment they had to offer.  They had an extensive array of treatments that included massage, body polishing, facials, firming treatments, manicure and pedicures, a sauna, jacuzzi and even a hair salon.  We even noticed that they offer a free transfer to and from your hotel, which we thought was a nice touch.

We were first led to a sumptuous seating area and had our feet placed in bowls of warm water.  Now, I reported on another spa a few months ago for this magazine, and so was fully prepared for what was about to happen.  A couple of the therapists started to gently massage and clean out feet with a mineral and salt scrub.  This is a wonderfully relaxing experience, even for someone as ticklish as myself in that, and other, areas. I did have to keep my mind focused on chatting with Pam the whole way through to avoid squealing and kicking like a schoolgirl, much, I imagine, to the shock of the ladies in question!

But I got through it without making a complete fool of myself, and we were soon led into the therapy room to begin our treatments.  The room was bathed in a warm glow of light, and cooled to a perfect temperature by quiet air conditioning.  A cd of relaxing music was playing softly in the background as we were left alone to change into something more comfortable, provided by them.  Briefs and soft cotton robes were laid out on the massage tables and, no, there will be no photos of me ‘ready for action’ printed in this or any magazine for the foreseeable future!  The ladies returned after a few minutes and the treatment began.  Over the next 90 minutes I had a wonderfully soothing massage that left me so relaxed I could have fallen asleep right there on the table.  Pam was, meanwhile, wrapped up like a turkey at Christmas during her treatment that she said left her feeling like a new woman!

Afterwards, we were treated to another cool drink and light snack as we rested and got adjusted to being back in the real world.  We had a wonderful couple of hours at the spa and were rather reluctant to leave this tranquil, cool oasis of hospitality but our time here had come to an end.  The staff bid us farewell as we made our way out to the muggy heat of the outside world, and we were sure that this newcomer to our town will see us return for more of the same in the future.