Sunday Bliss

After trekking with the elephants and a long week at school it was time for some rest and relaxation. I slept in until 1:30 in the afternoon and then treated myself to a nice breakfast down the street at Gai's Thai Cafe & Restaurant. French toast, ham, sausage, fried egg, tea and a fruit smoothie. Very yummy start to the day! I sat in the sun on the patio and enjoyed a bit of warmth before I had to head back to the hotel for my spa pick up. They were right on time and drove me to the Kandara Spa. I'm grateful for the pickup (its included in the treatment) since it was quite a ways away. I had booked the detox package (3.5 hours) a few days prior and was looking forward to my first Thailand spa experience. I was not disappointed! 

When I arrived they already had slippers laid out just for me by the front entrance as well as a welcome drink which was a nice herbal iced tea. I was then instructed to place my feet in a lovely milk bath and had my feet washed and scrubbed. Once dried, I enjoyed a nice 30 minute foot massage before being escorted up to my treatment room. It's a small but very beautiful facility, with the sound of a water feature in the background. My treatment started with a 45 minute body scrub and then a shower. This was the first really hot shower I've had in a long time and was wonderful! In Thailand "hot water" seems to actually mean "luke warm". Already my skin was soft and supple. Then I returned for the body wrap portion of the treatment and was covered in an herbal cream, wrapped up in plastic and blankets and left for 20 minutes. It was heavenly! I could have stayed in there for hours as the herbs worked their magic. I could feel my whole body tingling, you may be seeing this on our menu in the near future! After a good amount of time blissing out I was unwrapped and showered again, returning this time for an herbal oil massage which was also great. She got up on the table for the back portion and sat on my thighs to give me double elbow goodness. A really nice touch I thought was the bowl of water and flowers set up underneath the head rest giving me something beautiful to look at as I was massaged. 

Then it was time for a facial which smelled heavenly. Wash, scrub, mask and then hot and cold towels and some moisturizer. I thought it was all done but she had me sit up and massaged my shoulders, scalp and neck some more and then even french braided my hair with a lovely orchid! What a nice touch! I left feeling pampered, relaxed and absolutely mush. I think this was probably one of the best treatments I've ever had, and thats saying something! Once dressed and downstairs I was treated to a nice hot tea and some thai desserts before being escorted back to my hotel. 

After all this hard work, I was famished so I ended my day with a tasty plate of chicken pad thai and a mixed fruit smoothie, plus lots and lots of water! If you are ever in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend Kandara Spa www.kandaraspa.com it was an excellent treatment for a reasonable price (about $60 Canadian for a 3.5 hour luxury spa treatment). I wish I could go back again, but theres other places to see and different massages to experience. Life is rough! :)