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Booking a couples massage for the first time raises a very specific set of questions, and most of them are the kind people feel a little silly asking out loud. Do we have to undress? Are we allowed to talk? What if one of us wants firm pressure and the other doesn't? Is it strange to book one with your sister?
We've heard every one of these at the front desk, and none of them are silly. Leelawadee has offered couples massage in Vancouver since 2005 - we're an independent Thai spa, not a chain, and our founder trained and was certified at the WATPO Thai Traditional Medical School at Wat Pho in Bangkok.
This guide answers the real first-timer questions in the order they usually come up - from booking through to the ginger tea afterwards - so you can walk in on the day knowing exactly what to expect.
Who actually books a couples massage?
The word "couples" does a lot of work in the name, and it puts some people off unnecessarily. Yes, many of our couples bookings are partners - anniversaries, birthdays, date nights, or a Tuesday that needed rescuing. But a large share are not romantic at all. Friends book together. Siblings book together. Adult children bring a visiting parent who would never book a massage alone but is perfectly happy to come along with company.
A couples massage is simply two people having their own massage in the same private room at the same time. Nothing about it assumes romance, and our therapists don't either. If it helps to think of it as a shared booking rather than a couples one, think of it that way - the experience is identical.
It also makes a genuinely good gift: our digital gift cards run from $25 to $1,000 and arrive by email.
Before you arrive: booking, what to wear, timing
Couples rooms are the busiest rooms in the spa, so the honest advice is to book ahead: two to three days for weekday appointments, four to five days for evenings and weekends. Friday and Saturday evenings go first. If you're hoping for something sooner, call us at (778) 886-3675 and we'll tell you straight what's available.
Both of our locations have a private couples room: Downtown Vancouver at 1282 Howe Street, between Davie Village and Yaletown and easy to reach on the Canada Line, and Cambie Village at 3344 Cambie Street, in the heart of the neighbourhood with easy street parking. Choose whichever suits your plans. A third location at Pacific Centre is coming soon.
As for what to wear: come as you are. If either of you is having traditional Thai massage, loose comfortable clothing is ideal - yoga pants and a t-shirt work perfectly. If you're having oil massage, we provide towels and everything else you need. And do arrive together if you can - the session is timed to start for both of you at once, so one person waiting in reception while the other is mid-massage rather defeats the point.
The room: two therapists, side by side
You'll be shown into a private room set up for two - side-by-side mats if you're both having traditional Thai massage, tables for oil massage, or one of each if you've chosen differently. There's no shared spa floor and no strangers on the next table. Just the two of you, each with your own dedicated therapist.
Your sessions start together and end together. That's the quiet logistical magic of a couples booking: even if you've chosen completely different styles, nobody is left flipping through their phone in reception waiting for the other to finish.
The part people quietly worry about: undressing
Here's the question people rarely ask directly, so we'll answer it directly: no, you don't necessarily undress at all.
Traditional Thai massage is done fully clothed. You lie on a comfortable mat in loose clothing while your therapist works through guided stretches and acupressure - no oil, no towels, no disrobing at any point. If the idea of undressing near your visiting parent (or anyone) makes you hesitate, Thai massage removes the question entirely. If you're curious what that side of the room involves, we've written a full guide to what to expect at your first Thai massage.
Swedish oil massage and deep tissue happen on tables with warm oil, and for those we provide towels and professional draping - only the area being worked on is uncovered, exactly as in any professional massage setting.
And because each person independently picks their own style, you can split the difference in the same room: one of you fully clothed on a mat having Thai massage, the other on a table having Swedish oil massage. It's a normal request, not a special one.
"One of you can stay fully clothed for Thai massage while the other has a warm oil massage on the table beside you. Mixing styles is normal - most couples do."
Leelawadee Thai Spa - established Vancouver, 2005
Can you talk during a couples massage?
Yes, you can talk - quietly. There's no rule of silence in a couples room, and there's no expectation of conversation either.
What actually happens, almost every time, follows the same arc: a few minutes of quiet chat and the occasional laugh at the start, then somewhere around the ten-minute mark both people trail off mid-thought and drift into a comfortable silence for the rest of the session. Nobody plans it. The room is warm, the rhythm takes over, and talking simply stops feeling necessary.
Keeping it low is a kind courtesy to your therapists, who are working around you, but nobody will shush you. It's your hour.
Pressure, and why speaking up is welcome
Pressure is always adjustable, for each of you independently, and saying something is welcome - not rude. This matters more in a couples room than anywhere else, because some people stay quiet purely so they don't disturb the mood for the other person. Please don't do that.
A quiet "a little softer" or "you can go firmer" takes two seconds, your therapist genuinely wants to hear it, and your partner will neither notice nor mind. Your therapist will usually check in early in the session anyway, especially on a first visit - but you never need to wait to be asked.
After the session: ginger tea, no rush
When the massage ends, nothing else is scheduled to begin. You'll be brought ginger tea, and you're welcome to sit with it for as long as you like. A lot of guests tell us the quiet ten minutes afterwards - warm tea, phones still away, nowhere to be - end up being their favourite part of the whole visit.
If you've booked an evening slot, this is usually the point where dinner starts sounding very good. We've pulled together some date night ideas around Vancouver if you'd like to build a proper evening around it.
Quick etiquette answers
Tipping. Tipping norms exist in Vancouver spas and tips are appreciated, but they're optional and nobody is keeping score. Do whatever you would normally do.
Phones. Away, ideally in your bag on silent. It's not a rule we police - it's just the single easiest way to actually switch off for an hour.
Timing. Arriving ten minutes early helps. It gives you both time to settle in, use the washroom, and mention any preferences to your therapists without eating into your session.
Why not just book two separate massages?
It's a fair question. Booked separately, you might get two appointments at roughly the same time - but you'd likely be in different rooms, and your start times would depend on what happens to be free, so one of you could be dressed and finished while the other is only halfway through. A couples booking reserves the private couples room and two therapists as a single unit: same room, same start, same finish, one booking to manage.
Pricing is for two people together: from $218 for 60 minutes, $278 for 75, $338 for 90, and $438 for 120. We're open daily from 10am to 8pm, and the last couples appointment starts at 6:30pm for a 90-minute session.
One honest note before you book: Leelawadee is not a Registered Massage Therapy provider, and our treatments cannot be claimed through extended health benefits. If a claimable appointment is what you're after, our partner clinic West 11 Therapy provides Registered Massage Therapy with licensed RMTs - we've laid out the differences in couples massage vs couples RMT in Vancouver so you can decide which fits.