A Guide to the Best Massages in Chiang Mai

Aside from intact Lanna temples and the walled, moated old city, brimming with cafes like “I’ll say coffee & space” and “Fahtara Coffee,” Chiang Mai is lauded for spas and massage parlors. Whether you’re into soft oil massages or need an elbow in the back to get rid of that pesky office syndrome, you will find the best massages in Chiang Mai. 

From the Night Bazaar’s free-for-all massages and pop-up chairs near the Iron Bridge to a more exclusive experience at award-winning spas – the Rose of the North is a delight to your senses. Get pampered in the provincial capital – here are five of TAGTHAi’s favorite parlors and spas in Chiang Mai, a fabled Thai city under the watch of mountains.

Relax & Enjoy Massage

Some 700 meters west of the Tha Phae Gate, Relax & Enjoy Massage offers a Lanna experience beyond the longstanding tradition of spa treatments and Thai massages. From the benches to the floor, walls, and the ceiling – wood is all around you, making you feel cozy before you’ve even lain down. 

Pendant lights made of paper umbrellas enhance the cultural identity, and paintings that tell the story of life in northern Thailand add to the visual appeal of this aptly named parlor. Sit down, and you’re in for what many describe as the best foot massage in Chiang Mai. Or, for ultimate relaxation, choose a Thai herbal compress massage, an ancient aromatherapy technique using herbal essential oils.

Compressed and steamed plai, ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass are packed in a muslin bag and covered with a cotton towel. Now picture how it feels when the therapist presses those heated parcels on your skin or makes short circular motions.

To relieve pain and reduce inflammation, you can opt for a soothing coconut oil massage or a Thai massage. Oh, and this massage parlor Chiang Mai is one of the benefits of the City Pass. Make a reservation in the app – relax and enjoy!

 

Lila Thai Massage – genuinely unique, and we mean it!

Ever had a massage from an ex-prisoner? No kidding, Miss Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, the former director of the old Chiang Mai Women’s Prison, the Women Correctional Institute, founded Lila Thai massage to help newly released inmates reintegrate into society. And that’s not to say these are some random gals; the massage therapists are graduates from the prison’s massage training program.

Guess what, Lila Thai Massage is another benefit included in the Chiang Mai City Pass. Housed in an angular, Lanna-style building, you’ll find Lila Thai Massage inside the city moat. Give these massage practitioners a chance and book a foot massage or a Thai massage of the same length; they know how to deal the right amount of ouch to deliver the best massages in Thailand. After an hour of having your muscles worked on, stretched and prodded, you’ll feel wonderfully relaxed.

The Home Massage and Spa Chiang Mai

Steps from the Chiang Mai Gate, this appropriately named spa makes you feel at home even before you arrive. If you book in advance, you’ll get free shuttle service from (and to) your hotel. 

Clean and bright, The Home Massage is set in a building as white as milk. Walk through the doors, and the friendly staff takes care of you instantly, serving you tasty bael fruit tea and irresistible cookies. Attentively, they want to know about allergies and diseases and whether you’d like the therapist to focus on specific body parts. Do you need to tame stress? Ask them to put a strong emphasis on your back and shoulders. Choose therapist Wipa if you have chronic neck pain.

The owners who treat you like family members let you choose the massage oil, too. Keen to mellow out? Opt for lavender oil. Want to feel energized? Go for lemongrass. As an aside, all their products are natural.

Sleek furniture and comfy leather armchairs invite you to linger, as does the spa music. Using the TAGTHAi City Pass, you can book a Thai massage to harmonize the energies of your body and mind. The foot massage and back-and-shoulder massages are just as relaxing. And packages like feet care or a two-and-a-half-hour treatment including a foot massage, Thai massage, coconut oil and hot herbal compress massage are pure bliss. 

Private couple rooms are available at The Home Massage – the best spa in Chiang Mai for many. Whether you pamper yourself until 9 pm when it closes or stay for an hour – you’ll love every minute.

Zira Spa

“Boutique Spa of the Year” in the 2019 Travel and Hospitality Award, Lonely Planet’s Top Choice Spa in Chiang Mai from 2018 to 2021, first in Trip Advisor’s Spa category – Zira Spa’s won so many awards they could wallpaper all of their 36 dedicated rooms. 

Joking aside, Zira Spa is arguably the best massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand, located inside the moated walls. Walk through the spa’s courtyard, and you’ll hear the bubbling sounds of orange and yellow-spotted Japanese “good luck” koi fish swimming in the pond. As is proper for a good spa, the staff addresses all your preferences and concerns. Once they’ve washed your feet in scented floral water beside the koi fish, they lead you to private rooms that are kitted out with massage tables, Jacuzzi tubs, atmospheric lighting, and speakers. Step inside, and you’ll catch the scents of aromatic oils.

Get ready to rejuvenate – you’ll be blown away!

Fah Lanna Spa & Massage

Inside the walled, moated Old City, steps from Fahtara Coffee, one of the benefits included in the Chiang Mai City Pass, Fah Lanna Spa is another peaceful, multi-award-winning spa haven. It won the World Luxury Spa Awards in 2019 and is the place to find the best Chiang Mai massage. You’ll love the wooden walkways suspended over water lily ponds, side by side with bamboo, trickling fountains, and waterwheels.

The tropical setting isn’t the only reason why it’s made our list. Clad in northern Thai pants called sador, the smiling therapists that lead you to the private room are masters of their craft. Whether you’ve chosen a traditional Thai or oil massage – the best massages in Chiang Mai – a full body scrub or an energy healing reiki therapy, you’ll sink into total relaxation.

Pay once, and you get most of this with TAGTHAi’s one-day City Pass. Need more trip ideas? Our blog post, 5 of the Most Unusual Things to Do in the hub of northern Thailand, will help you plan your perfect day in Chiang Mai.



Don't forget to apply ‘HAPPY23’ for a special discount on Chiang Mai Day Pass!