Siam Cabana

Lovely tranquil surroundings and friendly people but massage hurt like nothing on earth. I had to tell her to stop and I left after 8 minutes into what was an hour massage. Way too hard for me and caused pain which is not my idea of how to spend 60 minutes. Other people seem to enjoy it though so it is likely that it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’ve always gone to Sawatdee Thai in St Leonards because it’s just across the street from where I work, but since I’ve decided to stop going there, I had to find another alternative. Siam Cabana has pretty much the same offerings and prices as Sawatdee Thai but with Siam Cabana, you get the feeling that their prices match exactly what they offer. For one, their interiors are so much better. It’s like an oasis of calm to shield you from the stress of the outside world. I always get foot massages, and the reason why I gave them four stars instead of five is because the foot massage felt more like a lower leg massage. Not much attention was given to the soles of my feet, but I have to say that the leg work was pretty good. I may not get another foot massage from them, but I’d like to come back to try the Thai massage next time to see how it fares.

Walking inside Siam Cabana is like walking into any Thai massage place you’ve ever been to, except on steroids. The overwhelming smell of tiger balm, the faux flowers and bells are all in abundance in the small space — there isn’t an inch of space not covered in something kitsch. That said it isn’t bad at all — it somehow just works. The staff are super friendly always greeting you with a smile. It is one of the better Thai massage places on the north shore and the north shore knows it. Even though you don’t necessarily need a booking, ⁹⁄₁₀ times when I’ve walked in I’ve been turned away. The massage itself is decent but my advice is to stick with traditional Thai massage — if you want remedial go to a proper masseuse. The Thai massage comes with the traditional foot soak, Thai pajamas and tiger balm and after an hour of stretching you’ll feel great.