We discovered Bangkok Family Spa a few years ago during our staycation at the Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel. Tried out their Thai Traditional Massage, and honestly, it was the best massage I’ve ever had. My whole body felt rejuvenated, and every joint and muscle got a good stretch with plenty of those satisfying cracking sounds. It was amazing!
A Return Visit After the Ironman
After my hubby did the Ironman in Desaru, he really needed a massage. Since we were staying at Capri by Fraser, we decided to go back to Bangkok Family Spa for another Thai massage. I contacted them on WhatsApp the night before to book a session for the next morning, and they replied almost instantly to confirm our appointment.
The Best Time to Get a Strong Massage
If you love strong and firm massages and want your therapist to apply more pressure, here’s a tip: book your massage early when the place just opens. The therapists are well-rested and fresh, so you can really feel the strength in the massage. It makes sense because if you book at the end of the day, their hands are probably tired from massaging all day, so you can’t expect the same pressure. What I usually do is get a strong Thai massage in the morning and a relaxing aroma massage in the evening or night.
The Spa’s Atmosphere
I’m not sure if it’s because of the location since it’s not in or near a shopping mall, but Bangkok Family Spa is never too busy when we go. The environment is always serene and quiet, which I love. We chose the 2-hour Thai Traditional Massage (RM132 per person) and added RM10 each for a private room. After paying at the counter, a staff member takes you to your room. If it’s not crowded, you can choose between a room upstairs or on the ground floor.
Price List
Here’s the price list for their services along with the additional costs for Private, VIP, or Jacuzzi/Sauna rooms:
Comfortable Private Room
The private room has mattresses on the floor and an attached toilet/bathroom. They turn on the aircon and dim the lights for you. You’ll get a set of clothes to change into, and don’t worry about sizes—they have XXXL for plus-size folks too.
How does Thai traditional massage feel?
Not gonna lie, Thai massage can be painful. Even my husband, who has a high pain tolerance, feels the pain sometimes. The technique involves kneading muscles and rolling out knots with high intensity. They don’t use oil or cream. The pain comes when your body is stiff and muscles are tense, so the therapist applies a lot of pressure to relieve the tightness. There’s also yoga-like stretching and pulling, and the therapist might even walk on your back to relieve tension and fatigue.
Sometimes, I have to ask the therapist to go easier on me. They might be petite, but they’re super strong—like, they could probably wrestle a bull, haha.
Post-Massage Benefits
After the massage, they bring you hot tea. That’s when you really feel the difference. Even without exercising, I felt like I did a triathlon, haha. The knots in my body were gone, I felt more energised, probably due to better blood circulation, and my chronic lower back pain from poor posture and constant sitting eased up a lot. My joints and limbs felt more agile, and I definitely slept better that night.
The only downside is I ended up with small bruises on my arms and thighs, but they went away after a few days.
So, if you like a good hard massage, Bangkok Family Spa is worth a visit. The therapists are Thai and very experienced, the prices are reasonable, and the place is no-frills.