Chiang Mai massage Super List!
The Ultimate Chiang Mai´s Massage guide
by Alejandro Guerrero & friends
The list below is for getting therapeutic traditional thai massage.
If you just want a relaxing massage with oil or a soft thai massage, you can try your luck in any of the hundreds of massage places around. It may be good, but it is a lottery and it depends very much on the person doing it, that´s why I am not including many massage shops.
With any of the people below you book for a 2 hours treatment.
Some of the Masters :
(ajarn = Master)
Ajarn SinChai
Blind Masseur with 40 years of experience. He does treatments in his house. You need to book him on the phone. His style is soft, gentle and hypnotic. But very healing and without pain.For me one of the best, and definitely worth trying. He is known to be good for treating traumas or injuries, chronic pain etc.
http://www.sinchaimassage.com/
Call: Local 086-924-3210, overseas: +6686-924-3210
Ajarn Somphong
he offers treatments at his massage place on Wualai road, the saturday night market road. He has been doing this for over 30 years and has trained many of the therapist and teachers in Chiang Mai. His style is strong and therapeutic, a very kind man. If you want to try tok sen he is one of the best.
To book https://web.facebook.com/HerbalsballhouseCM/
telephone 081-1648423
Mr. Jack Chaiya
Son of legendary Lek Chaiya, following the tradition of his mother, he has a unique technique combining dynamic movements and thumb acupressure with traditional Thai with a lot of elbows and knees. He is gentle and his hands are very good. He has a massage shop in town (you can check google maps) or ask him on facebook : https://web.facebook.com/jack.chaiya.7
Ajarn Pakorn
He gives treatments in Wat Kuan Khama (this is a temple in the northwest corner). He only uses thumbs and elbows and is big guy and super strong, but at the same time super healing. After he treated me I felt my legs floating in the air. If you have any physical injuries, trauma, or joints that need improved mobility, I suggest you visit him, though this kind of massage is not for the faint of heart.
Tel for booking : 0865875112
email : pakornoh@gmail.com (easier to contact by mail as his english is not great)
Mr. Nat
Another blind therapist who is very popular among massage students. He is strong as it gets, but he really knows what he is doing, although I felt some pain for a day after he treated me. He likes to crack your joints with chiropractic adjustments, even the neck. He speaks good English and you can ask him for a more gentle treatment and he will be softer (more or less)
The best way to book him is to visit him directly at his massage shop : “Supattra Massage by the blind”, which is on Sri Poom Road Soi 1. He is not on google and I do not have the number but it is very close to “Blue Diamond”, a popular vegetarian restaurant inside the north east corner of the old city. Sometimes he is not very formal, you may book him and he forgets, so try a couple of times.
Waree Pensiri
One of my favourite Thai massage therapists ever. She is gentle but deep, and mixes different styles to give you a very relaxing and healing treatment. She is also one of the experts in abdominal massage chi nei tsang, and one of the best for studying or receiving it, a direct disciple and assistant of legendary Khun Ni for many years. You can get to know more about her on her website : www.thai-massage-therapist.com
Ms. Nun (Tok Sen Massage)
A great person who really loves what she is doing, I had the chance to study with her last year. She does tok sen and traditional Thai with very strong thumbs, and she has been working for over 20 years. I love how she works, she has a super nice energy and she is strong and accurate. When I receive her treatments I feel very good afterwards. She knows how to treat you for any pain you may have. You can find her working in the Silver Temple, Wat Sri Suphan, also a very beautiful place to visit. To book, look for her on facebook :
https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015673009037
Thara Massage : It is a school and the teachers also give treatments. It’s 10 minutes away from the old city but the main teacher, Arjan Suwat, is one of the best for therapeutic massage and people from all overl thailand come to study with him. You can book going directly to the shop or online
Sirichan Thai Traditional Clinic
Outside of Chiang Mai, true therapeutic experts for thai massage and chi nei tsang
http://www.sirichanclinic.com/
Loi Kroh Massage School : Another popular massage school where the teachers give all sorts of treatments and they are very good. It is very close to the old town on the road to Night Bazaar (Loi Kroh road)
http://loikrohmassage.com/contact-us/
Old Medicine Hospital : one of the oldest massage places and schools in town. I took a course there the past year, but I never got a treatment, however I have heard good things about it
http://thaimassageschool.ac.th/
Fah Lanna Spa : this is an expensive luxurious place for massage but everyone says it is one of the best. I never tried but if you have the money and want to treat yourself may be worth checking out. They have two places and one of them is cheaper than the other apparently. They also have a really good coffee!
Wat Pan Whaen
A temple near Chiang Mai Gate, where they teach and give massage. I had a couple of massages there and they were quite good, but it also depends on the person. The price is very good (150 baht an hour!) . The teacher, Mister Joe, supposed to be amazing but I never tried him. I tried a lady called “Pan” and a guy called “Din” and they were both awesome.
Lila Thai Massage : This massage place has many shops in town. They train ex-inmates and they do a good job and the prices are low. However you can also have bad luck and get someone less experienced
On the Street Thai Massage at the Saturday and Sunday walking streets :
You´ll see the massage stalls at those markets. For 150 baht an hour you can get a decent massage, especially from the older ladies. It is an experience worth checking and it can actually be very good.
If you find something interesting please let me know and I´ll add it to this list
IN BANGKOK
Ok, I do not know many people in Bangkok. I did however received an amazing therapeutic treatment there. There is an old lady that works at the intersection of Samsen Road with the canal, next to to KhaoSan area. She has a little massage bed next to the canal and a restaurant, and you need to book her but the ladies in the restaurant phoned her for me. She does not speak a word of English.
She worked on my lower back pain and it was amazing and super strong.
If you have some spare time in Bangkok it is worth trying.