Massage parlor vs Spa in Vietnam

Since the long flight from Aus to KL my back has been as bad as it's ever been.

Since a back massage is so cheap here, I have had a massage everyday the last few days. There are so many massage places here I tried a different one each time until today, Todays place will see me again tomorrow. It is called the "New day spa".

I have found the difference between a massage parlor and a spa:

Both look equally shady from the outside and both have the word "spa" in the title.

A massage parlor will set you back 165,000vnd ($7.50) tip included for a 30min back, shoulders and neck massage while a Spa will set you back 200,000vnd ($9) for the same.

A massage parlor will make you pay upfront while a spa will have you pay after the treatment.

At a massage parlor a tip of at least 10% is expected and at a spa tip is optional.

At a massage parlor they spend about 25 minutes on the actual massage and 5 minutes trying to sell you something more,if you know what I mean. While a spa spends 20 minutes on you problem area (like my lower back for instance) and the rest of the time on the rest of the massage.

A massage parlor is not necessary quiet and peaceful as therapists continuously talk to each other, while in a spa they have nice soothing music and no talking.

A massage parlors quality of the massage is not even close to how good the spa massage is.

Conclusion: Spent the extra $1.50 and go to a spa.

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