External Link/Members OnlyExternal Link/Members OnlyThis is my first review so forgive any breach of etiquette. I started going to Nattaya about six months ago and thought that I had found a little gem of a place for a legitimate Thai massage, so if you're looking for more prurient services, stop reading and move on.
I was surprised to find a genuine Thai massage salon outside of Manchester city centre. I have used some of the salons in Chinatown for a couple of months with varying degrees of satisfaction.
Having found this little gem, I started to think that I would never go anywhere else. I went there three times in the first month and tried to go once a week that until August.
I'll get the niggles that I have out of the way first.
Communication : I don't mean with the therapists during the session itself but making appointments and getting in touch. The most reliable way to do so is face to face in the salon itself. I've tried phone, email and the Contact Us section of their website. None of these are very successful with no replies forthcoming and on one occasion they had no record of a booking I had made by phone.
Website: Overall, this is a representation of everything and certainly more up to date than their Facebook page but I suspect that ownership has changed a few times since the site was first created. I have never been offered slippers. I've never seen the showers, they may be upstairs but I've not seen them. I've only had a room with a robe once, I think.
Now that's out of the way, I can get on with some positives.
The first time was on spec and I was able to take advantage of their Thursday special to receive a great hour Thai massage that loosened me up a treat. The second time, after joining their VIP club for discounts, I wanted a remedial massage to help with a persistent throat/chest infection. I extended the hour to two because of the number of knots and problem areas and received a "no pain, no gain" treatment as a result which does what it says on the tin. It was eye poppingly firm to the point of almost agony. A week later though, I felt the benefits and less tender.
You always get a cheery welcome when you arrive and generally your room and therapist are ready quickly whilst your drink is rustled up.
The surroundings are relaxing and comfortable with Thai music piped throughout the many private treatment rooms available. The treatments themselves are great. I've seen a number of therapists in the many sessions and the variety of techniques experienced so far always surprises me. There are some common ones that every therapist has done such as the foot wash at the beginning and some things such as walking up and down my back and legs that I only had in a few of the sessions. The age and appearance of the therapists varies and obviously I have a favourite.
Mindful of other posts and reviews, I won't name any for fear of making things uncomfortable for them. I'll call her "X" and she said that she hadn't been in the UK very long, and I'd say that she was early to mid twenties, a whisper over 5' and nicely shapely. On my first session with her, she shed her outer layers immediately (not down to underwear) down to shorts (with bare legs) and a baggy open sleeved t-shirt , over what looked like some form of stretch tight top. The massage was good and there were many times both on my back and front when she was sat on my upper thighs/groin, which was quite distracting.
In the run up to my birthday, I was talked into trying a four hand treatment on my next visit and looked forward to it. "X" said she would find a suitable therapist to join her for the session. When I arrived, I was shown through to my room and all the therapists that I saw said hello and wished me a happy birthday. I settled in for my session in the usual way with my boxers on and lying on my front, with a towel. At this point I'l point out that age has robbed me of perfect eyesight and of a memory worth a damn so my ability to recognise their faces in a deliberately low lighting conditions is limited. That, and the fact that I spend most of the time with my eyes closed, so as to relax fully meant that I had been enjoying all four hands pushing and pressing my flesh for a good ten minutes before I realised that neither "X", nor any other of the more comely ladies were in attendance.
The massage was good though, not as firm as could be, and the more senior of the two asked me if I was too shy to remove my boxers and asked me if I wanted "X" to join as well for a six hand massage, at a discounted rate. At this point, I was not inclined to refuse either so readily agreed, going butt naked and then after half an hour, "X" bounded in and jumped on top of me with a big hug. Again, as she has done before, this hug was whilst she was sat astride that naked butt before pecking my cheek to say happy birthday.
So far, so good and I was having an enjoyable time with three pairs of hands rubbing me all over. Once I was on my back, their hands tended to wander agreeably but one of them, not "X", started paying more attention than I've ever had before to my penis. Not exactly the beginnings of a hand job but slightly disconcerting for what had always otherwise been strictly in accordance with their published "This is not a sexual service". With what I thought was humorous indulgence of their actions, I pointed out that I was just after a normal massage, with nothing extra.
Nothing was said and they continued to work on me but things stepped up a notch in the rigour of their ministrations. Eventually, we were back to the eye popping agony of an earlier visit as strokes and swipes became pummels and prods. I pointed out that I was there to relax and they said, this was better for me.
Eventually the two hours were up and they slipped out to leave me to recover. I felt a little stiff (not in a good way), paid the extra for the six hand and a tip and went home.
The next day, I awoke and when I looked in the mirror, I was alarmed to see red blood blisters and black/blue bruises all around my upper body so I returned later in the day to point this out. Neither the owner nor senior staff member were available so the therapist that I saw, took photos and said that the senior staff member would call me. At this point, my memory gets fuzzy. I'm pretty sure that I didn't receive a call so I called back to try and speak to the owner. He wasn't there but I was told that the blistering and bruises were typical for the type of treatment that I had received and would soon heal, leaving me feeling better.
Since then, I haven't been back because I found another shop closer to home. For a pukka massage, if you want to feel stretched and you're not against a little pain, I would have no hesitation in recommending this little gem.
