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When we first booked our trip to Chiang Mai, my husband proclaimed that he wanted to get a massage every single day. We were reminiscing about the 2 hour deep tissue oil massages we previously had at Oriental Massage Phuket and how those were likely the best massages we have ever had. For 2 hours, it was 1000 baht or roughly around $32. We had 3 massage treatments and paid our therapists the equivalent of $40. My husband’s massage therapist, Au, impressed my husband so much that he asked for her each time. The last time we visited, she was in the back, eating lunch but when she heard he was there for her, she stopped eating to accommodate him. I went through 2 different female therapists before I finally found Peuw who was just sensational.

All the petite women at Oriental Massage Phuket were freakishly strong and worked incredibly hard to work out whatever kinks we had. The setup for the massages there is unlike what we’ve grown accustomed to in the States. We hoofed it up 3 narrow flights of stairs to the 3rd floor where we walked into a room with a long wooden platform with several thin padded beds of sorts. Those were used for Thai massages which don’t involve disrobing and can be done in the open. Our treatment area had a few regular massage tables separated by loose drapes in between the tables. We undressed in front of the women as there was no dressing room and there weren’t additional sheets to use as cover up. We started our massages face down on the one sheet on the table and basically were exposed until we were draped with bath towels. I recall the therapists walking and kneeling on our backs at some point. When we eventually turned over, they covered us with the towels and for the most part, excluding the Thai stretch at the end, the massages were normal. The setting was definitely not a Burke Williams experience but the massages were a 100 times better because of the skill and remarkable strength of the women.

Jump forward 2 years and this time, we’re nearly 1000 miles north of Phuket in Chiang Mai. Our first massage experience was at Lila Massage which is an establishment that is dedicated to training and employing previously incarcerated women. We had just finished visiting the Cultural Arts Center when we walked out and saw Lila Massage across the street. We inquired about a 2 hour deep tissue oil massage which led to the receptionist making a call. She then led us out of the spa and advised us that their other location would able to accommodate oil massages. We walked past the square where The Three Kings monument is located.

When we arrived, there was a room full of female therapists standing and sitting around. My husband wanted an hour and a half deep tissue oil massage followed by 30 minutes of Thai stretching with their strongest therapist. What can only be described as fear or laziness, most of them rebuffed the offer to work on him. The woman behind the desk said they could not do both, that it’s one or the other. Having been spoiled by Au in Phuket who was initially hesitant but acquiesced, he insisted that it can be done, advised them that he’s a massage therapist and that the primary purpose for our trip was for him to attend Thai massage school. Not budging, the manager said that because of the oil, there was no way to stretch. I thought that clearly there was no creativity or drive to make money because the easy answer was to wipe us down and use towels or sheets to absorb the oil and stretch us. It almost felt like they weren’t interested in our business but desperate to get a massage on our first full day in Chiang Mai, we settled for a 2 hour hot oil massage which cost 1400 baht each.

Already, it was more expensive than what we had paid in Phuket and we weren’t getting exactly what we wanted. We started by being shown two chairs where our feet were washed and we were given house slippers. Just like in Phuket, we climbed up 3 flights of stairs but we were taken to a private room with 2 beds and its own bathroom. Unlike in Phuket, we were asked to wear what can only be described as black plastic undies and I was given a shower cap for my hair. The ladies left the room and let us undress in private and we started face down. Surprisingly, they started on our calves and then our hamstrings before making their way up our backs, skipping the glutes and hip areas completely. At a certain point, both women stopped massaging as they heard a torrential downpour of rain hit the roof of the spa. They continued and when we were flipped over, they once again began with the feet, ankles and thighs. As if that wasn’t odd and uncomfortable enough, my therapist worked on my entire chest and abdomen areas which are the forbidden zones in the U.S.

To say it was a weird massage would be an understatement. Their technique seemed a bit rough around the edges with a lack of bedside manners. My massage therapist also seemed a bit hostile. Still, I reminded myself that they were providing a service and were being given a second chance and an opportunity to assimilate into society. After our massage, we were given a cup of tea and a cookie.

Two days later, we went to The Home Massage and Spa which was a recommendation by a couple we met at the elephant sanctuary. I booked 2 2 hour massages for 1800 baht each and asked for pickup and drop off service which they offered inclusive of the price for the massage. The spa was a completely different environment than both Lila Massage locations. The Home Massage and Spa appeared to be on the first floor of a small pristine white colonial style boutique hotel.

Fronting it was a small pool and some lush landscaping but fronting that was the driveway and car park area.

After we registered, we were given hot tea and 2 cold washcloths to cool us off from the heat while our feet were washed before being given rattan house slippers. Then we were led into a dimly lit room with 2 beds and a full bathroom. The space was quite large and ornate. Again, we had the plastic underwear and shower cap. What was evident very early on was the technique and the proper draping etiquette of these women. The strokes were much more like the rhythmic strokes we’re used to but the order of which areas of the body was treated was very much in line with Lila. When the awkward front portion finally arrived, I had proper coverage and the periphery of the chest area was addressed rather than the entire section. As polished as the technique was, the beds were extraordinarily hard and by the end of the massage, my lower back was spasming. Also, just like the first set of therapists, only forearms, elbows and palms were used and no specific pressure points were addressed by their fingers. Again, the hips or glutes were ignored.

After our massage, we were given tea and small peanut butter and jelly shortbread cookies. Disappointed, my husband rejected the offering and whispered that he was done with massages for the trip.
Surprisingly, he changed his mind the last 4 hours we were in town, a week later. I had read about Perception Blind Massage on TripAdvisor and it was ranked higher than The Home Massage and Spa and both were in the top 10. I mentioned that the likelihood of us having to wear the plastic contraptions would likely be lessened since the therapists are blind and they may actually work on the Thai forbidden zones of glutes and hips which by American standards is less invasive than the chest and abdomen.

We took a Grab to their singular location and were greeted by a lovely receptionist who handed us a questionnaire about what areas we wanted addressed. We had not been asked previously so I took that as a positive sign in the right direction. We were given a cup of cold tea and while we drank it and had our feet washed, we were handed our individual massage therapist’s bio and story of how/why they became visually impaired or blind.

Already, we had an attachment and connection with our therapists before having actually met them. We were led to the rooms, walking past our therapists who were seated in chairs against the wall. The room we were led into was smaller and much darker than the two prior rooms but it was very tastefully decorated in a dark contemporary Thai decor. The adjoining bathroom was also dark and small.

Sadly, I was wrong about the plastic underwear and shower cap but the massage tables were padded and more comfortable than at our previous spa. My massage therapist started off with light rhythmic strokes and then she went in for the kill. She found knots in places I didn’t know existed. As she was pressing down on them, hearing my deep cleansing yoga breaths, she would say as she pressed down harder, “I’m sorry but it’s really tight.” I somehow suppressed the urge to scream but at certain points, I thought my eyes would bulge out of their sockets from the extreme effort to keep it all contained. Luckily, our therapists did use their fingers to address deep areas in our trapezius and also, I watched the blind male therapist work on my husband’s glutes while mine worked on the area between that and my lower back.

After the massage, we gave them each 200 baht and were given the same cold herbal tea as when we arrived as well as a  peanut butter jelly shortbread cookie and an Oreo cookie.

Hours later, during our two separate flights home, we met two young women who also had massages on their last day. Both women coincidentally had volunteered for a non-profit and had been in the mountains for most of their time in Chiang Mai. The first lady we met went to a random massage place and asked for a full body massage. We exchanged the horror of the frontal areas being addressed but unbeknownst to her, the female massage therapist was having her treatment lead to a happy ending. Upon the shocking realization, she ended the massage abruptly, paid the full price and practically ran out the door. The next tale we heard was from a young girl, a freshman in college, who shared the massage room with a male friend/classmate of hers who she inadvertently was exposed to during the frontal part of the treatment. The takeaway is to research the establishment and if traveling with others, be mindful of potentially awkward situations and ask what the room setup will be.  
Massages should make you feel less stressed after the experience. It starts with the setting, the friendliness of the staff, the connection with the therapists and the effectiveness of the technique. Of the three massages we received in Chiang Mai, Blind Perception was the clear winner for all the reasons that were important to us, and it made us feel that we had contributed to a very worthy organization and helped two amazing hardworking professional individuals.

Oriental Massage Phuket: http://orientalmassagephuket.com/

Lila Massage Ratchapakhinai and Lila Massage Prapokklao: http://www.chiangmaithaimassage.com/

The Home Massage and Spa: http://www.thehomemassageandspa.com/

Perception Blind Massage: http://www.perceptionblindmassage.com