Bangkok Hotels in

The excellent new spa of the Shangri-La, Bangkok, Thailand raises the design bar through its lavish provision of private space. There are only nine treatment rooms, each a large suite (860 to 1,150 square feet) furnished with an infinity bath, herbal steam room, shower, and immense sliding teak screens. (The sexiest is the Garden Suite, an indoor-outdoor space with an infinity tub in an orchid-filled, pebble-strewn garden.)

The spa's treatment menu, based on the ancient healing techniques of the Himalayas, is inspired by the Himalayan village of Shangri-La in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon, whose residents had found the secret to longevity. Thus treatment-room architecture takes its cue from Tibetan temples, and sessions kick off with the gentle ringing of a Tibetan singing bowl. Treatments are tailored according to the Chinese belief that we fall into one of five elemental types--earth, fire, metal, water, or wood--which is why guests begin by filling out a form that identifies their dominant element.

My caveats: The spa, deep in the 799-room hotel's Krungthep wing, isn't easy to find, and the Himalayan Healing Stone Massage is too long (2 hours, 15 minutes), the stones too hot, and the technique not well mastered by the otherwise outstanding therapists. (Raise your hand if you're for a moratorium on new hot stone treatments.)

The hotel itself, on the Chao Praya River next door to the Oriental, is very good, yet it remains one of Bangkok's sleeper properties.