Relaxing Day in Bangkok???

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So on our last full day in Bangkok, we decided to tone it down and try to relax some. I suggested a Thai massage, which I had previously heard of, but not exactly sure what it entailed. The description talks about yoga like moves to help stretch and relax the body. Kevin has never gotten a massage to begin with so of course he was a bit apprehensive, but he was willing to try it out with me. It turns out his apprehension was right on.

We were proactive and looked up a highly rated spa around us and found one called Urban Retreat. It ended up being only a 10 minute walk down Suhkumvit (the large road next to our hotel). Once inside the spa we were each offered cold water and slippers to put our feet in. We then were taken into a room with 2 small mattresses laying on the floor. We were then left alone and told to change into our Thai Massage outfits. The outfits were really a "one size fits all" pair of cheap scrubs, but I guess it worked for what we were getting into. We proceeded to put them on and these two little Thai ladies walk in and begin to wash our feet. Kevin of course is so tickleish that he was more worried about kicking the sweet Thai lady than he was about relaxing at this point.

Once our feet were squeaky clean, our massages began. We were laying right next to eachother on the floor excited about a nice, relaxing hour ahead of us. Again, were we wrong. The "sweet" little Thai lady turned into a "bully". She began with my legs which felt like she was seperating each of my muscles from my bones. I tried to catch Kevin's eye to see what he was thinking, but he was not paying attention. I didn't want to be rude or act like it was hurting so I gritted my teeth and continued. Basically, the Thai ladies use the palm of their hands, their elbows, their feet, their forearm and their entire body weight to stretch each part of your body. I am pretty sure the ladies could tell this was our first Thai massage because they both started giggling a few times during the hour. I have to admit that there were moments that felt great, but 90% of that hour was spent wondering how much longer there was of this pain. Luckily, it only cost close to $10 each so not exactly expensive, but not at all worth the money for each of us. We walked out of the spa feeling more sore than when we walked in.

Overall, Thai massages are overrated.

Leaving the spa we came across another type of spa that I had seen online. It is called a fish spa. Kevin trusted me on the first idea which ended up leaving him in pain, but again he trusted me enough to try it. You basically put your feet into an aquarium of fish where they proceed to nibble the dry skin off your feet. This massage was actually entertaining. Again, Kevin had to get over the fact that he was ridiculously tickleish, but he didn't have to worry about kicking anyone in the face on this one. The fish do all of the work and if you move your feel they just swim away. We both enjoyed this experience.

After the fish spa Kevin was done with trying any more massages for the day. We were both hungry so we went to a late lunch at a restaurant close by called Bourbon Street. Yes, we are completely on the other side of the world and eating at a Cajun food restaurant. The owner is an ex-pat who moved over here full time in 1986 and opened up the restaurant. It is one of the most popular places to eat in our area. They serve great Cajun food and it was nice recognizing everything on this long menu except for the beer. The only beer we are used to seeing back home which is occasionally offered over here is a Corona, but it ends up costing close to $8 a beer. I guess that is the cost of importing it half way across the world.

We are off to spend the last night in Bangkok over a quiet dinner at a nearby restaurant. I hope everything is going well back home. Thank you for the birthday messages. We are having a blast!

(I'm sorry there are not many pictures, but the internet speed over here is like a turtle so we have been lucky to get a couple uploaded. We have many to show when we get back.)

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Photos

Fish Spa
Don't look at the toes, I haven't gotten my pedicure yet.