Massage room

The main branch of Body & Mind is in Karon and the Boat Lagoon outlet is fairly new but therapists work in both locations, dividing their time between branches. Andy, the Business Development Manager, greeted us with glasses of bael fruit juice. The bael tree is sacred in India and usually grows nears temples. Almost all parts of the bael tree — root, leaves, bark and fruit — are medicinal. He explained that the Karon branch caters mainly for visitors to the island while the Boat Lagoon outlet deals more with Phuket residents.

Body & Mind are celebrating romance by promoting three "Special Romantic Spa Packages for a Month of Love". All three are two-and-a-half hours long and feature herbal tea to begin with, a 30-minute Rose & Milky bath, a Valentine Aroma massage and a bottle of Prosecco Italian sparkling wine and chocolate as well as fresh fruits and juice after the treatment. There are subtle extra added differences in the three treatments but all promise to be well worth trying. You can even have a candlelit dinner at the spa at Karon with the True Romance Package.

Body@Mind Garden Spa

The Garden Spa at the Boat Lagoon consists of a series of five treatment rooms – all wooden and air conditioned – with luscious décor and modern extras. There are two waterside couples' treatment rooms, a foot massage room and a group of dedicated female therapists from all over Thailand, all of whom must have three complete months' training at Body & Mind before treating clients.

Body & Mind has booking offices at both Patong and Kata where you can decide on what treatment you will go for and both offices offer free transport to and from the spa. The Patong office is opposite Jungceylon and the Kata one is near the Bookazine shop. You can also benefit from a free pickup service from Central if you book for treatment at the Garden Spa.

Hot stone treatment

Well, after an hour of gentle Thai massage and another hour of hot Thai herbal ball therapy I was as supple and tuned as I'm ever going to be. Discussing with my wife after our treatments at the elegant reception over a plate of fresh fruit and freshly pressed orange juice, we agreed it had been quite an experience. She positively glowed after a body scrub and a facial. So there we were, a couple of contented souls, ready to face the world again. My therapist, Rung, from Udon, had been wonderful. She applied exactly the right pressure at the right time and was gentle when appropriate and strong enough to make the massage really count.

Body & Mind: at the Boat Lagoon Phuket. Body & Mind Karon. 558/7 Patak Road.
Tel: 076-398274
www.body-mindspa.com/