Watch Out for Hot Stones

I don't mind admitting that I am a bit of a tart for spa treatments and massages. I have long since learnt to appreciate the 'holistic' benefits of a good oily rub down from my early days in Kuala Lumpur, before the words 'male grooming' or 'metro sexual' were ever mentioned in one sentence, and long before David Beckham had ever ventured to Chiva Som.

The establishment where I succumbed to my first massage was rather appropriately named 'The Spa', located on the 7/F, of Menara Lion on Jalan Ampang, KL. The place featured an assortment of hot pools, cold pools, saunas and steam facilities, from where you would venture through into a large relaxation area showing TV and films, where you could crash out until you ready to go for your massage. The place was way ahead of its time, completely above board, and was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, ridding your system of the toxins which you had drank the night before.

Since then, I have been more than happy to spend a couple of hours being 'kneaded' into a state of total relaxation, particularly if it gets Darling away from the shops. On our trip to Bangkok we made reservations at a rather plush facility, booking a 2 hour slot in the afternoon. From the menu I decided to opt for a body scrub, followed by a hot stone massage which sounded intriguing, whereas Darling opted for a 2 hour aromatherapy massage. We then went our separate ways for our respective 'treatments'.

Mine started off with an exfoliation (rub down with emery/ sand paper - not sure which), followed by an apricot scrub (did I mention tart earlier?). After a quick shower I was ready for the main event. My therapist (no, we do not say masseuse) laid out hot volcanic stones onto the bed, placed a towel over the top, then invited me to lay down on my back. After enquiring whether I was comfortable (which I was), the massage started. After about 5 to 10 minutes I became quite aware that indeed the stones were in fact hot. After another 5 minutes or so, I was aware of a burning sensation, but chose to ignore it (not wanting to appear soft)thinking that this was all part of the treatment. I did try to manoeuvre myself on the pile of stones to alleviate some of the discomfort, however this did not really help. For some reason whilst I lay there I kept recalling an early episode of Prison Break, (where Schofield presses back accidentally against a hot pipe, to avoid being caught by a guard), and after a while drift off to sleep.

It is soon time to turn over, the stones are cleared away, and I fall asleep several times whilst the knots in my back are worked on.

Back at the hotel, Darling asks if I have burnt my back. I tell her that I had not been out in the sun long enough to get burnt today, even for me. It is at this point, with the aid of a couple of mirrors, that I notice the burn mark on my back, as evidenced in the captioned photo.

Although a touch painful, it did not stop me going back to the Spa the next day, although I decided to give the hot stones a miss this time.

2 Nights in Bangkok

Just back from a short weekend trip to Bangkok for some well earned rest, although now I am back I am probably more tired than before I went away! After an overnight stint at work on Thursday, I left the office Friday lunch time to go home and freshen up, before catching the evening flight to Bangkok. I was a touch jaded it could be said at this point, however after a couple of pre-flight beers and a glass of wine (or was it three?) with my meal, I was back on my normal form.

I am not a big fan of Suvarnabhumi Airport, (Don Muang was far better in my opinion), particularly as it now takes 3 times longer to clear immigration and a further 15 minutes to reach the city centre. This latter point is something that the 'limousine' companies have cottoned on to, providing them with the excuse to hike the fares into town. Upon enquiring as to the cost for a car to The Peninsula I was quoted a 'special' price of 2300 Baht. This price was indeed 'special' as the fare is normally around 700 Baht! I politely told them that they were being ridiculous and that we would take a cab instead, and headed off to the taxi rank ignoring their shouts of 'OK Sir - I will give you discount!'.

We arrived at The Peninsula quite late, paid our taxi driver the 300 Baht fare (+100 Baht tip), and checked in. As the bar was closed we headed up and crashed out for the night.

The next day consisted of a full morning and good part of the afternoon in the delightful shoppers paradise of Siam Paragon, where Darling was in her element. Every counter of the cosmetics section was thoroughly inspected, as was most of the first floor ladies wear department. Darling was clearly making up for my recent shopping exploits, and was certainly making the most of it. Anticipating that we would not be leaving any time soon, I found a comfy swivel chair in the middle of the ladies lingerie section and sat down to watch re-run upon re-run of the Triumph underwear commercial, not that I minded.

Lunch in the downstairs food hall was a lively affair. Having had a good try of most of the free samples on offer (no idea what most of them were), I settled on a 'Chiang Mai Sausage' with heaps of a green algae like substance, which turned out to be an extraordinarily hot chili sauce. The food was excellent, however I could have done without downing all of the remaining chili mix in one go (not big, not clever), which left me in tears and in desperate need of a lemongrass sorbet.

Shopping concluded with the purchase of 'fresh' durian which I had apparently promised my wife that I would try. For those of you that have never come across durian, it is a big prickly fruit, about the size of a basketball, with an awful pungent smell and sticky yellowish flesh that some consider a delicacy (for more info - look it up on Wikipedia!). Having successfully avoided the fruit for 10 years of living in the Far East I am not sure why I had promised to try this now, however Darling was insistent. So the durian was smuggled back to the hotel. I say smuggled as the 'forbidden fruit' is not allowed on the premises of most hotels in South East Asia.


We then headed out for some serious relaxation at a rather plush spa (more on that in a separate post), after which it was time to head back, shower, change and get ready to venture out for the evening. Having nearly made it out of the hotel room, Darling recalled that there was durian to be eaten. Without too much fuss I actually managed to eat quite a bit (in my opinion), with only a can of Singha for assistance. To be honest, it was OK, and if offerred it again in the future, I am sure I could manage a piece or two, (although don't tell darling that).

We had a good evening, marred only by the injustice of some inept refereeing for a certain football match being undertaken in the UK, for which we managed to catch the second half on a rather poor quality screen, in an open air beer garden in the middle of Bangkok. Enough on that!

On Sunday after a late breakfast and an hour by the pool, we maneged to fit in one more spa session before, alas, it was time to head back to Hong Kong and the normal ensuing chaos. Still, all in all, a very good weekend and thankfully only another 5 weeks to go before we are back there again!

Post blog note - if you ever find yourself at Suvarnabhumi Airport in need of transportation, head up two flights of escalators from Arrivals to the Departures level and go outside to one of the many taxis waiting there. Do not follow the hoards heading to the taxi rank at arrivals - you will have a long wait, along with everyone else.