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Home / Travel / Fah Lanna Spa in Chiang Mai Thailand, A Luxurious Day Spa

Fah Lanna Spa in Chiang Mai Thailand, A Luxurious Day Spa

Dining Out, Travel Published: April 4, 2017 Last Modified: March 7, 2021
Author: A Full Living

Fah Lanna Spa in Chiang Mai, Thailand A Luxurious Day Spa graphic with text

Planning a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand? If you don’t have Fah Lanna Spa on the top of your list of things to do when in Chiang Mai, make sure you change that! Fah Lanna Spa is a luxurious and tranquil oasis in the heart of Chiang Mai’s old city. Taking one step inside of Fah Lanna Spa will transport you to a fantastic, one-of-a-kind relaxation experience, Northern Thailand style. You will quickly see why Fah Lanna Spa has received numerous awards for being Chiang Mai’s Best Spa. Don’t miss this beautiful place!

wooden sign with greenery of fah lanna spa with text stating easy to find, hard to forget

Disclosure: We exchanged our spa treatment and meal at Fah Lanna Spa in exchange for this post. All opinions are our own. 

When we first decided to make our way to Chiang Mai, Thailand it quickly became apparent we would need to go to the spa while we were there. What also became very apparent was the particular spa we should visit – that spa being Fah Lanna Spa. The spa had tons of raving reviews, various awards and was named the best spa in Chiang Mai. Everything about the spa is authentic. From brewing their own ginger and pandan tea for guests, to the lovely scents and ingredients that flow through the spa, you get the spirit of the Lanna people throughout.

organic scent diffuser at Fah Lanna Spa with sugar, ginger and lime slices on top of a wooden basket

The Heart of Fah Lanna Spa:

We asked what inspired the owners idea behind the business, their eloquent reply was:

“The owners are regular people that share a dream: As you will see and hopefully feel, the spa was created by feeling. They wanted to create something that is beautiful, inviting, down to earth, welcoming. A place where you feel comfortable and at home. Our philosophy really describes it best:

“We are children of the North, the former kingdom of Lanna. We appreciate our arts and culture and we love nature: our rice paddies and the mountains. We enjoy seeing people happy, their faces adorned with beautiful smiles. All this contributed to something that we built with love. It is called Fah Lanna Spa.”

glass door with reflection with a lovely quote about fah lanna spa

What To Expect At Fah Lanna Spa:

Fah Lanna offers many services, including more traditional Thai treatments like tok sen – a therapy specific to Chiang Mai, that uses a mallet made of Tamarind wood to knock all over the meridian lines of your body. The vibrations go deep to heal your muscles and body. There are also Thai herbal ball massages- which are designed to relieve pain and inflammation using a heated ball compress filled with herbs to massage the body using gentle, circular motions. In addition, Fah Lanna offers facials, body scrubs, oil massages and even pedicures.

wooden boardwalk at Fah lanna spa with a torch  in the water

We tried the traditional Thai massage and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Traditional Thai massage is not so much super relaxing, we would say it is more invigorating. Thai massage is an ancient practice developed by Buddhist monks that combines acupressure, Ayurvedic principles and assisted yoga poses.

It’s a dry massage (no oil) and you will be fully clothed the entire massage. It shouldn’t feel painful – maybe slightly uncomfortable when working out knots, but you will leave feeling amazing! We would recommend trying a massage that is unique to Thailand. It is one of the most authentic experience you can have. We have to mention how reasonable the prices are! A traditional Thai massage will run you  00 baht or about $14.58 for an hour!

A huge plus is that you get to walk from room to room or the lobby using the boardwalk. Iconic honestly doesn’t feel like it covers it. Lot’s of people love taking pictures of this boardwalk for Instagram!

beautiful and serene wooden boardwalk surrounded by tropical greenery at the iconic fah lanna spa

The Experience:

When you first arrive, you will be overwhelmed with the beauty and tranquility of this place. You will also be given a drink right away. Every guest is welcomed to Fah Lanna spa with a roselle tea drink to cool down the body. Fun fact – the roselle tea is then turned into jam that is put on many menu items. These guys at Fah Lanna are super resourceful. They also source their products locally, supporting the local economy.

  • dried pandan leaves used for tea with lovely diffused sunlight hanging in a wooden basket
  • dried bale fruit used for making tea hanging in a wooden basket

We had Ms. M, the guest relations manager show us around for the day. She was informative and so welcoming. We felt right at home with her as our host!

photo of a woman in a work uniform at Fah Lanna Spa

Before the treatment can take place, Ms. M sits with you and has you fill out a card to talk about an injuries you may have, and any place on your body that might need a little more work. You fill out a card like this:

card with a picture of the human body used by the customer to show areas of pain in the body to prepare for a massage

All guests are treated to some ginger and pandan tea, as well as some light snacks before the treatment. This is meant to relax, nourish and comfort. Before the treatment. After the consultation, it’s off to enjoy the treatment!

man's hand holding a small recipe cake topped with nuts and sesame seeds

The Different Treatment Rooms:

Before starting our own individual treatment, we were shown around the beautiful spa and all of the different treatment rooms. Each room is named after a nearby village, and is decorated accordingly to reflect what each village is most known for.

  • treatment room at Fah Lanna Spa called Fah Chom Thong
  • Inside of a spa room with ornate Thai style decorations
  • inside of a Thai massage room with Thai style ornate decorations
  • wooden large trays hanging on the side of a wall as decoration

We look forward to going back to Fah Lanna over the years and receiving treatments in each of the various rooms.

Lunch At Fahtara Coffee Following Our Treatment:

After our rejuvenating and wonderful Thai massages, you must check out Fahtara Coffee, which is of course the restaurant/cafe attached to (and apart of) Fah Lanna Spa. It’s also standalone as a cafe, so you can visit it any time even if you aren’t receiving treatment at the spa. There is both indoor and outdoor seating to fit your mood! We chose to sit inside, as the sun was blazing in the early afternoon.

outdoor seating in a serene Thai style cafe called Fahtara Coffee

The menu was almost overwhelming with all of the amazing choices. There is delicious Thai food, as well as International dishes, desserts and tons of refreshments. It was lovely to cool off in the air conditioned and relaxing space inside of Fahtara Coffee.

  • Fahtara coffee menu that is woven with ornate Thai designs
  • inside of fahtara coffee with dark wood walls and Thai artwork

We tried a variety of dishes and drinks at Fahtara, and loved every bite. The spicy squid salad and “Fahtara Tropical” – a mint and lemongrass lemonade were so refreshing and vibrant.

  • Fahtara Tropical - mint and lemongrass lemonade in a tall glass
  • spicy grilled squid salad Thai style topped with lots of fresh and colorful vegetables

We couldn’t pass up a bowl of green curry with chicken either. It’s truly one of our favorite Thai dishes, as you may have seen on our Top 14 Favorite Thai Dishes List.

bowl of green thai curry with chicken

Everything we tried was absolutely fabulous. The chefs here are not fooling around. Dishes are fresh, beautiful and incredibly balanced. You absolutely cannot go wrong! The only thing we wished we would have done different was save room for dessert, and we forgot to get a picture of our red curry with duck! We are huge fans of Thai food and Thai inspired food, so you can check out a few of our Thai food inspired recipes like these Low Carb Coconut Lime and Thai Basil Cupcakes, Thai Green Curry Deviled Eggs, and Low Carb Thai Basil Chicken!

Some other important things to note about Fah Lanna:

Fah Lanna supports local initiatives, and partners with many local companies that give back, like Build a School Project, Elephant Nature Park & Bring the Elephant Home Foundation, Free the Slaves, Care for Dogs and the Thai Freedom House (supporting refugees). You can read more about their connection to these incredible charitable organizations here.

Speaking of ethical tourism, we actually paid a visit to Dumbo Elephant Spa while in Chiang Mai, an ethical way to hang out with elephants in Thailand. You can read more about that here.

  • dried pandan leaves hanging in a tropical environment in a basket
  • serene photo of foliage at fah lanna spa

Fah Lanna goes above and beyond to take care of their employees and treat them like family. Many of them have been with the company for a long time, and the owners truly believe in happy employees first, as they feel this will translate to happy customers. The owners even pay for schooling for their employee’s children.

Last but most certainly not least, Fah Lanna spa is constantly raking in all kinds of awards, including (but not limited to) Traditional Thai Experience, Amazing Day Spa, and Day Spa of the Year in 2019. In 2018, Leading Experts Luxury Health and Wellness, and Thailand Cosmetic contest. Also the Thailand Tourism Award of Excellence and Thai World Class Spa in 2017, the year we visited!

pot of pandan tea brewing in a clay pot with the lid lifting off surrounded by tropical greenery

If you make a trip to Fah Lanna or Fahtara Coffee, please send them our love and give us a shout!

If you liked this post, please share it with your friends. Have you been to Thailand before? Planning a visit to Fah Lanna Spa? Leave a comment below!

Until next time,
Briana & Chamere

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Comments

  1. judie ngov says

    September 25, 2019 at 10:51 pm

    Hi Briana, I am heading over to Chiang Mai next week. I love you reading about your spa experiences, thank you for sharing. I was fortunate to stay at Anantara during my previous visit and was spoiled at their spa. How do I book Fah Lanna?

    Warmly,
    Judie

    Reply
    • Briana says

      September 27, 2019 at 12:11 pm

      Hi Judie! We are so excited for you, you will love it. 🙂 To book Fah Lanna, you can go to their website and hit the reservation link, or you can email them at fahlannaspa[at]gmail.com.

      We think you will absolutely love your experience.

      Have a great time!
      Briana & Chamere

      Reply
  2. Navya says

    August 5, 2019 at 12:12 am

    Dear Briana, I have read many of your blogs but I should say this one felt fresh to read. Thank you for putting across a very personalized article on your experience in Fah Lanna Spa in Chiang Mai. I am in love with the way you write and your usage of words. Appreciate you giving us a photograph filled reading experience.

    Reply
    • Briana says

      August 6, 2019 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Navya,
      Thank you so much for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed this post. I hope you get the chance to check out this amazing spa someday! 🙂

      Reply

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