Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Royal Orchid Spa BKK
A ground staff was waiting for me with the famous buggy by the arrival gate. We coasted through the terminal to the TG F lounge.
buggy ride
I was warmly welcomed into the lounge as an arriving F pax. Now, if you know anything about this lounge, you know it's all about the massage. Sure, you can get a massage anywhere, but when you're flying or on a layover it's all about
that experience. FT has a
very useful FAQ about the F lounge. Here's what it says about access:
TG F arrival connecting to TG C = C spa access, however some people have been offered F spa access in this scenario
"C spa access" refers to a 30 minute hand/foot massage, while F access gets a 60 minute full body massage. All along I was determined to try my luck by politely requesting the latter, but it turns out I didn't have to. I was offered it!
"Mr. Ital, would you like a massage? We have a full body massage if you'd like."
// trying to contain my excitement. "Did you say a full body massage?"
"Yes, it's an hour long. It's good after the long flight."
"That sounds great."
It's worth noting the lounge was empty when I arrived. It's been discussed in the FAQ thread above that helps your chances of getting "upgraded" to a full massage as a F-arriving, C-departing pax.
I was then taken to a semi-private area (a room with no door) with sofas, TV, and a computer station. The table was too low for eating but it's not really meant for that.
I ordered a carrot juice. Then it was massage time. The spa is located across the terminal so there was a little walk involved. The spa attendant was a nice lady who initially had me down for a 30 minute massage, but obliged to 60 minute after I told her the front office OK'ed it. I sat in the nice waiting area for about 5 minutes, then my nice masseuse picked me up.
Spa waiting area
Now, up to this point I had experienced a string of luxuries on this trip: pampered like a baby on 2 F flights and 2 jacuzzi soaks in the LH F lounge. With that in mind, I was blown away by just how nice the massage room is. Truly a pristine piece of heaven. The photo doesn't do it justice.
Now, I can say the massage itself is one of the best I've had. It was handled extremely delicately. The masseuse was professional and spoke good English. She sought my feedback until the pressure was right. The best part is, although the room was lit, I didn't see light for the entire 60 minutes. When I flipped from stomach down to up, she covered my eyes with a towel. Even when she massaged my temples and forehead, she was so delicate as to keep the light-blocking towel in place. Incredible! It was hard to not fall asleep, and truly hard to get up once the hour was over.
Disclaimer: my typical full body massage is in those Chinese foot massage places, so my expectation may be low!
The extremely pleasant shower is attached to the massage room and I needed double soap to get rid of the massage lotion!
I went back to the lounge on my own and decided to have some food. By then it was probably 3:30 or 4 pm. The buffet looked pretty bad (both lack of selection and quality), so I ordered grilled pork and shrimp cocktail from the menu. I found the pork quite good. It is similar to the Vietnamese style I'm familiar with.
I stayed in the lounge for another 2-3 hours, during which time I also ordered Massaman curry with chicken and some papaya. The chicken had more fatty parts than you would find in the US (at least the part of US I live in, which isn't known for international cuisine), which I quite enjoyed.
Papaya
There are also ~2 private rooms (with doors) and one was occupied with people talking loudly inside, so I'm glad it was there for them.
The bathroom area had a nice lobby.
Bathroom lobby
The one quality I found lacking was service in the main lounge. At any given time there were several staff outside my room, but none ever came to check on me for food, drink, etc. I had to walk over to them each time. Now if someone just wanted to be left alone, that might work well for them. The staff was also rather indifferent, far from the warmth I received on their flight. Service was also on the slow side. I ordered a Pad Thai as my last dish and it was nowhere to be seen 20 minutes later, at which time I left for the flight.
Despite the spotty service, the lounge was a highlight of the trip. The massage and the spa environment were divine. The food was reasonably good. And there was plenty of space (it did get more people later in afternoon, but by no means crowded).
lounge area
Time visited: 1:30 - 7 pm, Sun, July 13
(scores out of 5)
WIFI: 4
POWER OUTLET: 4 (in semi-private area)
AVAILABLE SPACE PER GUEST (ASPG): 5
FOOD: 4
SHOWER: 5
SERVICE: 4 (avg in lounge, excellent in spa)
CONDITION (ambiance, tidiness): 5