Full spectrum

 

 わたし、身体ようかいみたいwww 

Translated from Japanese: I, like a body specter. Source

Let's start with this photographic tour of Thailand with some contributions from Central Thailand for a change. 

If one heads out due west from Bangkok there's a lot to see and experience soakingswise. Probably the closest hot spring is the hot spring resort by the name of Rock Valley (below) just outside of Khanchanaburi town. 

To the south of this in the delightful valley of Suan Phueng (Ratchaburi province) is the hot spring of Bo Klueng (above).

   

Теперь это моя естественная среда обитания [palm_tree] 

Now from Russian: Now it is my natural habitat. Source

 

ออ นเซ็นอย่างไทยก็มาา #hotspring #thaistyle #weekendroadtrip #wanderluststory 

Hin Dat hot spring, Khanchanaburi, source.

Dizzy

  

 พ่อ กับแม่พามาแช่น้ำร้อน #เวียนหัวจุง hot spring!! [laughing] #hotsprings #feelgood #nature

Chaiya hot spring, Surathani, source.

Heading south, before hitting the main tourist areas on the west coast one could laze away a couple of hours at Chaiya (above).

But it's mostly the hot springs near Krabi (below) which entertain the many tourists.

   

Awesome #bachelorette party! #hotsprings #thailand #krabi #destinationwedding #travels 

Wareeraksa hot spring, Krabi, source.

  

 #tb #crazytrio #enjoyinglife #hotsprings #krabi #thailand

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Hot

   

Erum bara að njóta #nofilter #IMBAtravelers #thailand #hotspring #pai 

Translated (from Icelandic): [We] Are just enjoying. Source

And to top it off the northern hot springs, Pai hot spring (above, Mae Hong Son province) and the hot springs near Samoeng, Chiang Mai (below).

   

***หนี ร้อน มาแช่น้ำร้อน @น้ำพุร้อนโป่งกราว #onsen #chiangmai #cnx #hotsprings #hotspring #สะเมิง #โป่งกราว #น้ำพุร้อน #journey #thailand 

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Heaven on earth

 

Traditional thai onsen spa in the mountains. น้ำแร่ร้อนๆแบบไทย แช่สลับกับน้ำตกเย็นๆฟื้นฟูกล้ามเนื้อได้ดีสุดๆ ไทยสไตล์สัดๆ [hotsprings] [hotsprings] [hotsprings] #thailand #onsen #chiangmai #burinparinliveinchiangma

Source 

Secret soak style 
Let's start from north to south and near the border with Burma we can discover the albeit rustic and local soaks of Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai province (above), while below are the slightly more upscale hot springs near the town of Samothong:

 

#onsen #chiangmai #thailand in the morning. #heavenonearth [shower] [shower] 

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Spent the day in The Secret Hot Springs surrounded by the jungle and getting splashed by a couple of naughty little Thai kids! [swimmer] [skin-tone-3] @kstewrat #saingam#hotsprings#bliss#jungle#chillin#pai#thewaterwassohot#travelling#thailand 

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No posting here is complete without a slice of soaking heaven, more commonly known as Sai Ngam, Pai, Mae Hong Son province. Secret no more (above). 

While elsewhere in the same province there seems a new development at hot springs north of Mae Sot town:

  

I'm happy to see you happy, my love [heart_eyes] [heart_eyes] [heart_eyes] [kissing_heart] [kissing_heart] #onsen #thaistyle #maesot #tak #thailand #relax #bath #greatview #happy #moment #love #life #chill #time #backtobasics #outdoors #unplanned #trip #journey #travel #holiday #happyholidays 

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Counting

Apparently, there are 120 Onsen spots in Thailand, so we decided to explore a bit!👘♨️ Big differences from Japanese Onsen is 1: they don’t get naked, 2: they stare. 3: there’s no washing space, 4: they don’t freak out when we are taking pictures, and 5: so we can actually take pictures! 😂💦 (at Kanchanaburi)

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Central Thailand receives little attention (above) while Krabi is a lot more popular:

บำบัด [joy] [grin] #hotspring #onsen #krabi #thailand #wareerak #wareeraksa #spa #unseenthailand #naturalhotspring #onzentime #thaispa #thaionsen #thailandstandupchallenge #thaimassage #relax #retreat #instapic #iphone5

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#hotsprings [four_leaf_clover] 

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Siam hot spring? With the adds on of a Health Club. Apparently there's such a place near Chaiya, Surat Thani province. Facebook page posts this:

   

คุณโชคชัย ราชรักษ์ December 7 At บ่อน้ำร้อน Siam Hot Spring.

Also try to be confused with Siam hot spring in Ranong ...

Experience

Gains fading away but still enjoying life [raising_hand] [ocean] [sunny]  #ChiangMai #Hotsprings #Hotpool #sankampaeng 

Se Siam soaking winner of 2015: Sankampaeng. Source

Consider to differ
With the end of the year fast approaching, let's look at what are Thailand's most popular soaks, based on internet awareness. 

Points were awarded to relative standings on Instagram, Google search (of the last 12 months), google search (based on % of the first 100 results), Twitter (number of hashtags), flickr / Tumblr / Youtube finds, Tripadvisor (number of comments) and Facebook (likes).

These scoring posssibilities differed from last years overview as bing and pininterest search results were excluded, while google percentage and Facebook likes were included. 

Was the result much different? 
No, there's little change to last year and the top 5 is exactly ranked the same as two years back! So much for changing the sources of calculation ...

Business as usual
Outside the top 5, there were some shifts, most notably the picturesque Wareerak hot spring (Krabi) coming in at number 7.
 

Amazing afternoon at #wareerak #hotspring #thailand #spaexperience

source
 

It is part of a pattern, whereby privately operated soaks are increasing their presence on the internet as that's what they need to do to continue to stay in business.

Those at the top of the lisst remain mostly non-business entities with a little enhancement of the original surroundings but mostly natural (though exclude the number 1 from this note). Whereas 4 of the numbers 6-10 have business interests at heart.

The Top 10:  
1 Sankampaeng, Chiang Mai (2014: 3rd)
2 Pai, Mae Hong Son (1)
3 Hin Dad, Khanchanaburi (6)
4 Fang, Chiang Mai (2)
5 Klong Thom, Krabi (4)
6 Rock Valley, Khanchanaburi (8)
7 Wareerak (-)
8 Raksawarin, Ranong (11)
9 Chaeson, Lampang (-)
   Natthawaree, Krabi (5)

I guess it's time to put on clothes and leave Thailand jungle paradise.. Off to Vietnam [rocket] [ramen] [fried_shrimp] [dancer] 

Off the top(s)? Pai's so-called hot spring; there seems to be quite a few hot springs in and around Pai each helping Pai to stay at or at least near the top. Source

Bubbling just outside the Top 10 are Chiang Dao (Chaing Mai), Betong (Yala), Mae Khachan (Chiang Mai), Pong Duet (Chaing Mai) and upcoming Thaweesin (Chiang Rai).

Free

From south to north, here are just some slides of the variety of soaks of Siam ...! 

พักไม่ทันหายเหนื่อย ปิดเทอมงานเยอะกว่าเปิดเทอมคูณสอง หยุดยาวๆบ้างได้ม้ายยย #relax #wareerak #wareeraksa #onsen #krabi #hotspring #spa #thaimassage #hotspringkrabi #forest #thialandonly #tradition 

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From Krabi we head a little north to what I believe is Rommannee hot spring, Phang Nga province, wedged between Khao sok and the coast:

Kanya Manoppong: 

Hot spring

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#hotspring #stairs #stairway #suanmokkh #suanmokkhinternational #chaiya #suratthani #green #grass #tree #souththailand #relax #myhometown #thailand_allshots #photooftheday #amazingthailand

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Leaving  the south behind us we continue via Khanchanaburi (first photo below) to the hot spring haven of Chiang Mai.

This time last year we befriended a dear taxi man, witnessed a very questionable 'vegetable' deal and were mobbed by Thai people calling us superstars and taking our pictures as we were roasted in the hot springs #tbt #superstars #hotsprings #bathfriends

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Hot spring in Chiang Dao ️ it's made by Japanese :) #hot_spring #hotspring #onsen #nature #mountain #chiangdao #chiang_dao #thailand #trip #travel #traveling #travelgram #worlderlust #worldingram 

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Samoeng, Chiang Mai, Pong Kwao hot spring. Source

[Lady in the Water] #hotsprings #Pai #Thailand #mermaid #adventure #Iamfree

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Those days

 

 Pai's tranquil (and natural) hot spring. Source.

A small update with a couple of recent pictures plus what could be described as a number of finds.

 

'Relaxing at the near hot springs'.

By Pedro Solona Villalobos at Mae Taeng / Chiang Dao 

A link to a Thai until now unknown hot spring. Phu Khao Nam Ron in Chaiya district, Surat Thani. This adds further info:

'Ancient hot springs is located at Lamet, Chaiya district, Suratthani Province. Hot spring is 4 km away from the center of Chaiya district. Hot spring is composed of two hot spring wells. From the folklore, Indian people in Srivijaya period enjoy this hotspring and use this hot springs as part of their religious practices. They consider this hotspring as their holy water. In those days, the king at that period created a pool for bathing'.

An instagram of Hin Dad hot springs by shishps.

Another find. I have sought but not found Wichanaburi's Wankhasm hot spring. At least that's what I think. 

Not very surprising but this Thai language website has quite a few piccies (below) as well as directions to find this hot spring. If you need to find this place that is ... 

An upcoming hot spring destination? Krabi's salt water hot spring (below) is seeing some changes. Looks like a hot destination (Too hot? No shade, lots of concrete ...) Source

  

Never heard of, Rommanee hot spring in Takua Pa district, Phnang Nga. On the way to / from Khao Sok. With some history, development activities again have only taken off in the last few years and are still somewhat limited. On and also sterile ...:
 

There are some better natural springs in Kapong. And Khao Sok National Park is a natural haven with lots of (skinny) dipping spots ....

At Chumpon's Tham Khao Plu. Source

Slurpy

The lesser developed
With the differing levels of to-be-expected development concerning hot springs in Thailand, there seems to be no rule, bar one: the more remote, the less developed. But even this rule will have to thrown out of the window.

Chaiya district's (Surat Thani province) distant claim to fame is the Suan Mokkh temple. Established just 50 years ago (or earlier) this forest temple was home to Ajahn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, one of Thailand's most famous monks (source).

But besides the attraction of the road side temple complex, just a one km walk away is a hot spring; delitefully deserted and undeveloped with exception of a stair and an overflow.
Less nice is the small paved street which nearly runs over the spring. And the overflowing garbage bins which give an indication that maybe not mid-morning but certainly at other times of the day, the hot springs see their fair share of visitors.

A familiar Thai natural phenomenon: trash at scenic (soaking) spots!

Guided by spirits?
As said ,it's not too difficult to find. But chugging up or down the highway, one is once more mind-boggled by all the signs pointing to this attraction, though the final signboard indicating that you need to "stop now!" seems to have been omitted. A sudden break and a blind turn-off later we are at the rather busy parking space just outside the temple complex.

Slightly bewildered, we enter the temple site and at the first crossroad inside the busy temple complex we are accustomed by a foreign disciple, totally clad in white gowns.

"We are looking for the hot spring".
"Ah, cross the road via the foot bridge, walk up the road for 100m and then take the sideroad for another 10 minutes walk".

So we cross the busy highway and walk up along this source of noise and stench. Between two shops, follow the country road away from the highway towards the railway and beyond the sea. A not too high mount seems to be the point where this road heads first.
We continue the much longer than 10 minute walk, asking along the way, yes, yes, it's not too far. As the road comes close to the mount, the hot spring appears on the left.

Is this all?
It's a pond with embankment on the far side. From the roadside a stairway leads down which supposedly enables the entering and existing. Along the road side of the pond is an underwater sitting space. There's a huge slurping sound, coming from the overflow, in the middle of the pond. Where the overflow flows to is unknown as the surroundings are devoid of any stream.

The roadway is silent, no changing spaces, hmmm. I take a good soak, especially as I am covered in sweat from the walk here. The water is very hot, but also slightly salty.

After the soak we continue onwards hoping to find where the overflow leads to. But to avail. Further on there 's a meditation centre, whatever that may be.

More
A good source of information on this hot spring comes from a regular visitor on thaipulse blog, in which the contributor adds some more info on the surroundings. Specifically he mentions that the Dhamma Meditation Center (the center which lay beyond the springs) has it's own hot springs. Actually, it's called International Meditation Hermitage.

Em and Trev mention the existence of separate hot springs (separate from what? Oh I see, men from ladies ... (picture on men's soak) at the centre:

'The hot springs are in secluded natural settings, and are a welcome relief after evening tea, loosening up those tired back muscles just in time for one last stretch of sessions'.

Friends of Suan Mokkh describe there being two for men, one for women. A piece of advice:

'The water is slightly odorous, so you'll probably need to bathe afterwards'.

Annete mentions a specific problem with separate soaks and meditations retreats:

'We can’t walk back from the hot springs with wet sarongs as the shape of our wet thighs underneath might spur the men into thinking unutterable thoughts ...'.

Another aspect overlooked, described by Roaming Elephant:

'Had a dip in a hot spring. It was like taking a bath. Then it became annoying that we weren't allowed to speak to each other - this was supposed to be a social activity'.

Anyway, that about the other non-public hot springs.

Despite the area being a magnet for spiritualists other than a wooden cushion and a cement bunk, there's little or no accommodation nearby.

Getting there: Chaiya is 590 km from Bangkok, 140 km plus from Chumphon or around 50 km north of Surat Thani. The temple site of Suan Mokkh is 6 km south of Chaiya town along the main highway. Take a small lane towards the sea and after about 1 km you will arrive at the hot spring. More specific directions here from suanmokkh.idh.org.

Soaking experience: Aaaaah, a Thai hot spring, hardly disturbed by mankind. A luxury, a wee bit hot, for the hot and humid season ...

Overall impression: Suan Mokkh hot spring, a great enchanting place (if there were no slurping sounds from the overflow ....)