Finding a fish spa in Chiang Mai is no easy task unless you know where to find them. It seems that fish spas are more popular in Malaysia and in the tourist area such a Phuket
. We found that most of them have congregated to a small pocket of the city on the outer edge df Tha Pai Gate. Running a special deal of 30 minutes of both the fish spa and 30 minutes of foot massage we decide it’s been a while and enter the premises.
The water is warm and before you realise you feet are covered in a blanket of fish that gives a sensation of putting your feet into a giant soda bottle. The sensation is interesting but not as interesting as what progresses.
Foot massages are everywhere in the city, as the Thai and other Asian nations have discovered is that massage is good for the body and it’s normal to have a massage at least once a week.
Unfortunately for me and anyone giving me a massage I was given the genes of my English ancestors and have a little bit of body hair, unlike other cycling mad Lycra fashion conscious male sim happy in my own skin. But sadly when then body hair transfers to massage the workload of the person giving the massage suddenly increases. All of this combined with unkept toenails is too much to bare for the girls of the fish spa, and the bullying and the pecking order kick in.
Elena gets a young guy who’s hoping that he short flowing dress will give him a trill and make his day, while I’m left with a girl who looks like she’s just finished a day at elementary school and has no real strength to do the job properly. She try’s but you can feel that her heart is not into the job at all.
If you got this kind of service in Australia you would bitch and moan about the service, but in Thailand you sit still and just accept the treatment thinking you’re helping them to make a living and it’s part if the experience.
My answer is to speak up and tell them that it needs to be either harder or in some cases softer. If it’s not good enough after 20 minutes walk out without paying… After all they’re being hired to do a job, it it was a builder in you home and the job wasn’t up to scratch would you be happy to pay full price? It to like they can take back the work they have just done.
I’ve found massages and fish spas are a bit hit and miss when it comes to good quality and service, my advice the older ladies are generally better and if you go into the back blocks where the locals hangout you likely to find better than the tourist sport just looking for your money.
