Medical

Bangkok hospitals are amongst the best equipped you will find anywhere, and the Thai medical profession is probably one of the most advanced in the region. Successive governments have invested in ensuring the education and training Thai doctors receive is parallel to that offered elsewhere in the region. Many doctors undertake specialist training abroad, particularly the United States and Europe and are at least equally as well qualified as physicians in the west - often more so.

The hospitals and clinics offer everything from cardiac surgery to organ transplants to cosmetic surgery to sex reassignment operations, all at a price much lower than the US or Europe. Thai medicine also features a higher, more personalised level of nursing care than westerners are accustomed to receiving in hospitals at home, which has been an important factor in the growth of the medical industry.

Spa

Bangkok is an extremely popular place for all sorts of pampering, and all the main hotels in the city will have a spa operating on the premises offering traditional massage services, aromatherapy, and beauty salon services. There are also a large number of independent spas offering similar therapies and treatments. A visit to an upmarket Bangkok spa is a life-enhancing experience, and the trained staff will be able to recommend a course of diet, exercise and therapy that will allow you to change your entire lifestyle, if you wish.

Alongside all the modern facilities, however, the ancient techniques are still popular with Thais and visitors alike. Bangkok is a place where there are many qualified acupuncture practitioners. For ancient Thai massage, a visit to Wat Pho, the centre of learning for traditional massage techniques, is a real experience and there is a school here that runs courses specially geared to overseas visitors.