There are wellness centres and spas that I like to visit in Bangkok, Thailand. However, on my most recent trip to Bangkok, I decided to have my body massage at Pranali, a wellness centre in the upmarket mall, Siam Paragon. I had my foot reflexology done at Pranali few months back and since the experience was rather pleasant, I decided to try its body treatments.

It was 11am and Pranali has just opened its door. It was clear that the employees were still trying to tidy up the area. My appointment was 11am and I guess the employees were not even ready to receive me. After waiting for 10 minutes, my therapist was finally ready.

Frankly, I’m quite skeptical about wellness centres in shopping mall.  Most of the time, the treatment rooms are small and not as luxurious as those in hotels which I feel more comfortable with. However, the seven treatment rooms at Pranali are pretty well designed and cosy. They are clean and rather well maintained. They are as good as those in the 5-star hotels in Bangkok.

As usual, my first massage in Bangkok would include a body scrub and massage. The Detoxify Charcoal Polish (THB1,700) which I had is a very gentle body scrub that uses charcoal bits to remove deep dirt and dead skin. This is great for those who are uncomfortable with a rougher sea salt scrub. After 40 minutes, my skin was clean and smooth even though it was not as smooth as the sea salt scrub which I usually have. But I believe that this charcoal polish did help to detoxify my body.

I guess one of the common job hazards of a desk-bound job is a stiff back. The Deep Tissue Massage (THB2,500) was what I exactly needed. The treatment focuses on the common problematic areas such as neck, back and shoulders. My therapist used lots of pressure to release the tension trapped in my body. After 90 minutes, my body was very thankful for the indulgence.

Unfortunately, the experience was marred by a very forgetful therapist. Throughout my treatment, my therapist was walking in and out of the room to retrieve items. It was essential oil for one moment and something else the next.  I mean shouldn’t all these basic essentials be prepared way in advance?  If not because of these disruptions, the overall experience would have been spectacular.

Pranali Wellness Spa
Siam Paragon Unit 334
3rd Floor Siam Paragon Shopping Center, North Wing
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: (66) 0 2610 9596
www.pranaliwellness.com