Guest Blogger: Grace O’ Donnell

Next stop on my trip was Chiang Mai, a city with a small town vibe, north of BKK, easily accessible from the capital by overnight train or bus. At Chiang Mai, you can go for a massage from female ex-prisoners, it was honestly the best massage I’ve ever had. I extended my massage from one to two hours, I was enjoying it so much. At the end of my massage, I struggled to leave because I had been relaxed into such a comatose state. The Chiang Mai Woman’s Prison has a programme teaching prisoners the skills of Thai massage. There are five massage centres in the city where prisoners and ex-prisoners can find meaningful employment. This improves livelihoods and empowers the poorest and most vulnerable people, so you can leave your massage feeling good in every sense of the word. (more…)