It was AC’s first time in Bangkok, and she wanted to do some sightseeing. A few days earlier, she had visited the Grand Palace in the morning. I met her at the main entrance at noon, and afterwards we went to Wat Pho to see the Reclining Buddha.
The Reclining Buddha was a beautiful sight and much larger than I had expected. You can exchange a 20THB note for coins, which you then drop into some of the 108 large bronze bowls lined up along the wall in the corridor behind the Buddha. The donations help the monks maintain the temple, and dropping coins into the bowls is also said to bring good fortune. At first, we didn’t see the bowls, so we thought they were playing some kind of strange cling-cling music. Then we realized that the continuous, very zen-like jingle came from the coins hitting the bowls.
There’s a large school for traditional medicine and Thai massage at Wat Pho. The school also offers massage treatments, and it’s considered one of the best places in the city for a traditional Thai massage. Even though the Reclining Buddha was impressive, I’m not really a temple kind of person, so the main reason I wanted to come along to Wat Pho was the prospect of getting one of those renowned massages.
A one-hour Thai massage at Wat Pho costs 420THB, which is slightly more expensive than the average massage salon you’ll find down most side streets in Bangkok. It’s money well spent, because the therapists are very professional, and there’s no doubt they know what they’re doing.
We had our massage in a nice, temple-like building with high ceilings and large, firm mattresses placed on wooden platforms. It was excruciatingly painful at times, though in a good way, I guess, and afterwards it felt great. AC had some neck pain before the massage, which she mentioned to the therapist, so he gave that area a little extra attention. Two days later, the pain was gone. I didn’t have any specific issues, so I just got the standard treatment.
We weren’t sure whether it would be inappropriate to tip or rude not to tip, but then we saw someone who looked like a regular slip the therapist a couple of bills after his session. We decided to do the same, and it was clearly appreciated.
It was one of the best massages I’ve ever had, and it was worth every baht.
Read my guide to Thai massage in Bangkok
