This is way overdue but I am finally getting to it! The short of it is: Rung Thai is absolutely amazing! Book them now!! Like no hesitation, you will be so happy!
The long of it: My boyfriend and I traveled from the states to Victoria, BC in late June of this year for our 1st vacation together in years. On our way across the Pacific, after being delayed unexpectedly and having to rearrange our activities for Victoria, we were a little stressed. I looked up places to get a great massage that same day. Neither of us had ever tried Thai style massage and we were not certain if we would enjoy it....however, the rates quoted by phone were very reasonable, the reviews I found were positive, and they could fit us in.
As we were exploring Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley, we wound up walking past Rung Thai's folding sign. Easy to miss; the staircase leading to the apartment-converted-to-a-business is behind a barred door near the street. The owner buzzed us up after having a brief interaction via intercom confirming our pre-scheduled appointment. When we reached the top of the stairs, a door led us into Rung's and we were warmly welcomed with a quick orange peel foot bath and a change of clothes. I kid you not, my boyfriend has since bought 3 pairs of these loose fitting Thai pants off the internet as he felt so relaxed in them.
Though not as hot as TX, it was still fairly warm in Victoria, especially since we had been walking around most of the day after our clipper trip across the ocean. As soon as they ushered us into the massage room, I noticed they had a portable ac/ unit going at full blast. It was awesome. Second thing of note, they are compassionate. My back goes out from time to time, and lying down on a flat, only slightly cushioned mat made me nervous. But when I mentioned it to my massage therapist, she placed a pillow underneath my knees ensuring my back didn't spasm/lock up. She was also incredibly intuitive and caring throughout the session. She also checked in with me about pressure just the right amount of times. Thai massage is different from other forms of massage as they do all the usual pressure work but also literally gently maneuver your body into yoga poses and stretches. Things that I find hard to do myself.
When the massage finished, I looked at my boyfriend and said very groggily "What have we been doing with our lives??? How did we not know about this before? Can we do this again tomorrow?"
Upon exiting the massage room, the ladies were just as kind and provided us with our choice of hot ginger tea or water with fruit. We thanked them and chatted with Rung for a bit. She has been in business for quite some time. She really has created a calming little oasis with wonderful staff.
And the kicker, the whole thing was extremely affordable, even after tipping. I swear to god it was the best massage I have ever had. Godspeed weary travelers! read more