Thailand’s huge draw for me lies in the food, friends, and culture. Bangkok, in particular, is quivering in colors and sounds. From the street vendors squeezing fresh bright orange mandarin juice, to the colorful Hindu temples and Thai wats, to the whizzing motorcycle taxis, to the women who sell fragrant jasmine flower wreathes for offerings, Bangkok keeps your senses buzzing.

But aside from the main reasons I love going to Bangkok, there’s a very girly part of me that loves it for another reason. I’m talking about a bit of pampering! In Thailand, I often get 1-2 (okay, sometimes 3+) massages a week. At $6/hour at my local massage shop, why wouldn’t you? You make the time to spend that kind of money! It’s pretty rare that I get a massage in the states, so while I’m in Thailand, I overstock my body with massages so I can think fondly of them once I’m back in New York.

One of Thailand’s main draws for foreigners is medical tourism. Many people come for plastic surgery, sex changes or hip replacements. I haven’t taken so much advantage of that yet (besides an MRI and an occasional teeth cleaning), but I do enjoy some of the minor procedures many Thai women enjoy: eyelash extensions or perms, facials, manicures and pedicures, etc.

Julia and I love to get a facial after a few hard weeks backpacking in the jungle, scouring the mossy floors while foraging for plants, and sleeping with wild animals that screech in the night. Whew, exhausting! Does that sounds like we deserve pampering? What if we told you that we just had a day to putz around Bangkok and nibble some good bits and then head to the mall to scrub ourselves clean? Does that still merit an afternoon of facials and back rubs? That second scenario is actually a bit more like what usually happens…

Here’s a video from our favorite mall, MBK, where you can make all your beautiful beautifying dreams come true.