Thailand | Spa Week Daily

Travel Tuesday: Elephant Massages in Thailand

Typically you get a massage so you can close your eyes and relax. But if you found out your massage therapist weighed well over a ton and lacked opposable thumbs, would you even be able to blink? Don’t get me wrong, I always appreciate a nice big burly massage therapist. But an elephant? In Thailand, elephants are some of the most sought after therapists in the land.

Thai Massage takes on a whole new meaning. They’ve got moves. They pat, push, tickle and perhaps accidentally knead out knots with their feet and trunks. More often than not, they get a little frisky. Possible grounds for a law suit in America, but in Thailand, we’re just having some big floppy-eared spa-ish fun with the largest land mammal on earth. Who, after all this, definitely deserve some massages themselves.

See demonstrations below.

Would you try an Elephant Massage?

Photo via

Spotlight on Travel: Le Meridien in Phuket, Thailand

December 15, 2009 | By Meghan

Last month, our marketing VP Lindsey took off for Thailand for two weeks. During her second week, she stayed at Le Meridien resort in Phuket. She came back raving about the level of service she’d enjoyed at the resort – and after seeing her pictures of the grounds, we couldn’t help but want to share this little piece of Thai paradise with you!

When Lindsey arrived at Le Meridien, she was greeted with a fresh orchid bracelet and a lychee fruit drink. While she enjoyed it, she was whisked on a tour of the beautiful property and escorted to her room.

I guess it's a little pretty, whatever

Unfortunately, Lindsey got sick, any traveler’s nightmare. Le Meridien sent flowers to her room with a note apologizing for her illness and wishing her a very speedy recovery. While she was recovering, resort staff checked in on her at least twice a day to see if she needed water, towels, fresh bedlinens, or anything else. When she felt good enough to take on the streets and beaches of Phuket, the resort provided wake-up calls – and Lindsey didn’t even have to request them!

There’s nothing worse than being sick far away from home – but Lindsey said Le Meridien did everything they could to make a bad situation into a good one. If you’re headed to Thailand, we hope you don’t get sick. But we do hope you stop in Phuket to enjoy all this amazing resort has to offer.