A client has flown in for two days of meetings and you would like to do something better than another dinner. Arranging a treatment for them is a good idea and a slightly delicate one, and the difference is almost entirely in how it is offered.
Offer it, do not arrange it
The single rule. Book nothing until they have said yes to the idea and chosen a time themselves.
A massage involves a stranger in a hotel room, pressure on the body, and in some treatments bare skin. Those are things a person consents to for themselves, and a therapist arriving at a client's door as a surprise is not a pleasant surprise however generously it was meant. We will not treat anybody who did not know they were being booked for.
The form that works is simple: you have had a long flight — would you like us to arrange a massage at your hotel one evening? You pick the time. It is easy to accept and, importantly, easy to decline without awkwardness.
Keep it unambiguous
Worth being plain, because this is the thing that makes people hesitate to offer it at all. Say what it is: a therapeutic massage at their hotel, from a professional massage service, at a time of their choosing.
Our therapists are professional therapists doing a job of work, the treatment list is the treatment list, and a booking made on any other basis is declined at the door. Saying so in one sentence removes the entire ambiguity, and a client who was unsure what was being offered will be glad you did.
If you would rather not be the one arranging it at all, the clean alternative is to tell them the service exists and let them book it themselves. That is sometimes the more comfortable version for both of you.
What to book, if they leave it to you
Err conservative. Something standard, flowing and unsurprising:
- Thai oil massage — ฿1,000 for sixty minutes, ฿1,200 for ninety. Warm, plain, unscented oil on a table. The safe default.
- Foot massage — ฿1,000 for sixty minutes. No undressing at all, which makes it the easiest thing to accept for somebody who has never had a massage.
- Head, neck and shoulder massage — ฿900 for forty-five minutes. Seated, through clothing, and it fits a gap between meetings.
What not to choose on somebody else's behalf: deep tissue, which is genuinely firm and which some people dislike, and aromatherapy, because a scented oil is a strong preference either way.
Ninety minutes after a long-haul flight; forty-five between meetings. And not before a dinner you are both attending — an oil treatment leaves people slow, which is the point of it and the wrong condition for a seven o'clock table.
The practical arrangements
Book in your own name with your own contact details, say in the notes that the treatment is for a guest and that they are expecting it, and give us the hotel name and their room number. Their therapist reports to reception and follows whatever the hotel asks of a visitor.
Pass the arrival window on to them. The commonest small failure here is the person paying knowing the time and the person receiving it not.
Ask them to mention anything relevant to the therapist on arrival — a recent injury, a neck or back condition, an allergy, a preference about pressure. You will not know those and should not be asking.
Payment is arranged when we confirm, and the amount is the one on the request. Tipping is not expected and is never added, so your guest is left with nothing to settle and nothing to wonder about. There is no travel surcharge in any of the twelve districts we cover; the service areas page lists them with arrival estimates.
If they are here for a week
One substantial session mid-visit beats a short one on arrival night. The business traveller's hour covers fitting treatment around a working day, and the guide to hotel massage covers the hotel side in full.
Booking a massage for someone else covers the practical side of it — whose name, whose number, and who the therapist expects to meet. Every treatment with its price is on the home page, and once your guest has picked an evening you can send a request and we will confirm availability before anything is fixed.
Frequently asked questions
Is it appropriate to arrange a massage for a client?
It is, provided you offer it rather than arrange it, and provided you say plainly what it is. A therapeutic massage at their hotel, from a professional massage service, at a time of their choosing. That sentence removes the entire ambiguity, and a client who was unsure what was being offered will be glad you said it.
Can I book it as a surprise for them?
No. A therapist arriving at a guest door unannounced is not a pleasant surprise, and we will not treat anybody who did not know they were being booked for. Let them say yes and pick the time. If you would rather not arrange it at all, tell them the service exists and let them book it themselves.
Which treatment should I choose for a guest?
Something standard and unsurprising. Thai oil massage at 1,000 baht for sixty minutes is the safe default, foot massage at 1,000 baht needs no undressing at all, and head, neck and shoulder massage at 900 baht for forty-five fits a gap between meetings. Avoid deep tissue, which some people dislike, and aromatherapy, because scent is a strong preference either way.
How do the arrangements work if I am paying?
Book in your own name with your own contact details, say in the notes that it is for a guest and that they are expecting it, and give us the hotel name and their room number. Pass the arrival window on to them. Payment is arranged when we confirm, and tipping is never added, so your guest is left with nothing to settle.
