What's better than sitting under an umbrella on a Thai beach with fresh BBQ seafood and beer? Getting a massage while you sit under the umbrella with fresh BBQ seafood and beer.

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THAI MASSAGE ON BANG SEAN BEACH

For 200 baht or about US$6 you can get a foot and leg massage on Bang Saen Beach in Thailand. Just the perfect thing when you feel like relaxing and losing some stress. We had driven the short distance of 80 kilometres to the beach to try and relax after a stressful week at work.

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SUNDAY CHILLING

We had taken up our spot with some chairs under an umbrella and ordered a bunch of food and drinks ready to relax, when we were approached by P' Nee, one of the local Masseuses working on the beach.

Would we like a foot & leg massage?

YES! We Would!

As P' Nee set to work, we got talking to her and discovered that she was a 30 year veteran of the trade. As she rubbed the tiger balm onto my legs she told us how she was thankful that her profession had allowed a girl from a small village to travel and see some of the world. She had done stints in Hong Kong and Singapore in the late 80's and remarked how surprised she was to see all the foreigners in Hong Kong. I explained about the British territorial rule over Hong Kong during this period.

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By now she was working out the knots on my legs and there were a few. And she explained how she had been working on bang Saen beach for 10 years now. She liked the fresh air and the people were nice.Next she took a small wooden stick and used it on the pressure points on the souls of my feet and between my toes. It hurt but in a good way. While doing this, she explained how on weekends there were up to 100 masseuses on the beach, each assigned a certain zone and licensed by the government. The price is fixed at 200 baht per hour and she could average 4-5 customers a day.

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She continued to explain how the fixed price avoided some people attempting to charge more and causing arguments. By now she had worked her way back to my legs and added some oil to work the tough spots. Her skills were excellent but I guess with 30 years experience she knows how to find a knot.

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My wife and I both enjoyed a massage and chatting with P' Nee. The price was right, her skills were great, and I really enjoy talking with regular everyday people about how they find their way in the World. After she was finished we felt suitably relaxed and that was the whole point for us of getting out of Bangkok for the weekend.

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Now, about that BBQ seafood and beer :)

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