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Visit Fire massage village (Yam Khang massage) (Chiang Mai)
Presentation Fire massage village (Yam Khang massage)
The village of Ban Rai Kong Khing, located in the Hang Dong district of Chiang Mai, offers tourists a authentic experience of local life and above all an astonishing and quite rare type of massage: fire massage.
The community of Ban Rai Kong Khing
The Ban Rai Kong Khing community is a collective enterprise where all families work together to meet each other's needs. Tourists can stay there, spend the day discovering the community and its activities or just come for a massage by the fire.
The activities of Ban Rai Kong Khing
Popular activities in Ban Rai Kong Khing include cooking classes. Visitors can learn how to prepare local dishes such as Khai Pam, a specialty made from eggs cooked in banana leaves on a stove. Another specialty is khanom jok, a rice flour dessert stuffed with sweetened coconut, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. But what made the village's reputation are its Yam Khang massages, nicknamed fire massages.
The Yam Khang Massage
The most famous attraction of Ban Rai Kong Khing is the unique massage called Yam Khang, an ancestral Lanna therapy (Ancient Kingdom of Northern Thailand). The Thai word yam means to walk or trample, and khang means plow. The symbolism of Yam Khang massage is therefore that it turns over the bad things in your life or your body, just like a plow turns over the earth. Yam Khang is renowned for relieving muscle, tendon, joint and bone pain.
There are very few masseurs who practice Yam Khang. In Ban Rai Kong King, there are 3. They use plai water (a root which has medicinal properties) and black sesame oil. They soak their feet in these liquids before passing them over an iron plow blade heated by hot coals and massaging the muscles with their feet. What makes the Yam Khang massage impressive is when the oil ignites after passing the masseur's foot and makes high furtive flames.
Practical information about Fire massage village (Yam Khang massage)
Entry to the village is free.
One hour of Yam Khang massage costs 600 THB.
You can't just show up in Ban Rai Kong Khing for a Yam Khang massage unexpectedly. You definitely need to make an appointment in advance by calling them on 061 1959 551. You will probably need the help of someone who speaks Thai during the call. Ask your hotel reception to make a reservation for you.
This is not a spa, there are no changing rooms or showers (there are toilets). They do not provide outfits so I advise you to bring clothes specifically for the massage and a change of clothes. Normally, for the massage, you have to be shirtless and legs uncovered (I just had shorts). Also take a towel to wipe the oil off your body at the end.
The massages are not done in an intimate setting but on an outdoor platform in full view of all.
For other activities, notably cooking classes, you also need to book in advance but they only do this for groups. So if you are alone or two, you can only come for a massage.
How to get to Fire massage village (Yam Khang massage) ?
There is, to my knowledge, no way to easily get to Ban Rai Kong Khing by public transport. You will therefore have to privatize a red car, come by tuk-tuk or, like me, order a vehicle on GRAB and then negotiate a price with him so that he can take you, wait for the massage and bring you back to Chiang Mai. . Be careful, very few people know this place, so you will have to give the GPS coordinates (that's why GRAB seems best to me). Ban Rai Kong Khing is 25 kilometers south of Chiang Mai.
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