Treasures of Thailand

By Tina Isaac

updated 2:41 p.m. ET Sept. 13, 2006

Rooted in abundant spirituality, graceful traditions, and fresh ingredients, Thai spas are resilient sanctuaries of personal renewal.

By the time I made my first trip to Thailand, I had already spent years at my desk daydreaming about it. Those reveries had no real research behind them. My knowledge was limited to listening to friends’ vacation stories — Isabelle’s in particular stuck with me. She had spent a month in an A-frame hut on a beach at a time when she needed to take stock. It had cost little, and she had come back glowing, serene, and 15 pounds lighter, brimming with energy and admiration for the place and its people. On hearing her stories — and seeing the results — I almost envied her the circumstances that landed her there. I resolved that if I ever found myself at one of those crossroads, I would follow her example. And when, about a decade later, I was hit by one of life’s curveballs, I finally booked a ticket.

Sudden redundancy had a big silver lining. It left me with the time and means to travel, two things that had never come together for me at one time. But I was so tapped out physically and emotionally, it was all I could do to board the plane. I had done no research or preplanning, other than to reserve a bungalow in a spa that I had heard of on Koh Samui — Spa Samui Retreats — which paradoxically is known for its fasting program but celebrated for its restaurant. Hearsay led me there; my only other knowledge of the culture was what I had gleaned from the menu at the Thai restaurant in my neighborhood, supplemented by a severe adolescent crush on Yul Brynner in The King and I. And, fortunately, I had friends who had recently relocated to Bangkok.

My requirements were few: I wanted someplace warm where I could do some yoga, have at least one massage per day, read, stare at the horizon — and not socialize. I needed to regroup. And for the first time in my life, I craved exactly the opposite of the traveling I had been brought up to do: Plan like a war general. See every church, every statue, every painting. Provide a full report.

Legendary hospitality is what makes Thailand the top resort destination in Southeast Asia. Their’s is a culture of politeness, dignity, and big-heartedness, which is probably why so many women are comfortable traveling to this country alone. Despite the cacophony of Bangkok — or on any of the crowded thoroughfares — and the language barrier, striking out solo there feels a thousand times safer than hitting the road in Provence or Tuscany, or heading to the Caribbean. In how many places does a Western woman have the luxury of not participating, of being able to drift unsolicited and virtually invisible through the scene if she so chooses?

By the end of my second day at Spa Samui, I had enough new acquaintances to keep loneliness at bay, yet all the space I needed to be alone. My bungalow was basic at best; I had been to summer camp so I didn’t really mind sharing it with a gecko or two. Up in the hills away from the beach, you can still hear the scene happening a few miles below, but it might as well be a million miles away. By the end of the first week, three of us had gravitated together naturally. Each one was at some sort of crossroads of work and love. We made resolutions for the year ahead and agreed to make this an annual rendezvous.

Unfortunately, this year’s events changed all that. One of our group was meditating in a monastery north of Chiang Mai when the tsunami hit. I was still in the States, but unsure whether to stick to our plans. Our third was stuck elsewhere with visa issues and had to cancel. My friends in Bangkok assured me that although it was sad, it was safe — so I decided to make the journey. Family and friends were concerned. “Take your water wings,” one advised. Of course, I did not need them.

Psychic healing from the tsunami that ravaged six of Thailand’s southwest provinces last December will take years. But thanks to the country’s relative wealth and infrastructure, the physical recovery was underway almost immediately. Unlike many of its neighbors, the damage here was very localized. Nearly 90 percent of the hotels on Phuket and Krabi were undamaged, and Thai authorities have promised that the hardest hit areas — Khao Lak, Koh Phi Phi, and particularly the Patong waterfront on Phuket (which is more renowned for its nightlife than wellness offerings) — would be rebuilt swiftly, and in a more responsible way, by this summer. Unfortunately, the repercussions on tourism, the country’s second-largest economy, will take longer to subside.

Arriving here a week after the disaster was surreal: Aside from missing persons advisories at customs and posters to recruit blood donors, little seemed different. And yet, of course, everything was different. What doesn’t change is the culture: The Thai people move forward with minimal fuss, they are always happy to see you, and the warmth is always genuine. You can feel the spirituality put into practice.

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