Mae Chok Hot Spring

Mae Chok Hot Spring is a sulfur mineral spring in Ban Mae Chok, Mae Pak subdistrict, in Phrae’s Wang Chin district. The source water runs close to 80°C, and the site — run by the local Tambon Administrative Organization rather than a private resort — spreads across roughly 10 rai (1.6 hectares) of shaded ground. It’s open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.

Geographically this one’s a slight outlier for a “Phrae” attraction: it sits closer to Lampang city (about 38 km away) than to Phrae’s own provincial town (around 56 km), and most visitors approach via the Den Chai-Lampang road rather than driving out from Phrae town itself. There’s no better hub to file it under, since it’s still administratively part of Phrae province and Wang Chin district, but don’t be surprised if the fastest route in comes from the Lampang side.

Watch out: The main source pool is genuinely close to boiling — do not put a hand or foot directly into it. Staff channel the hottest water into a dedicated egg-boiling pool and cool the bathing areas separately; stick to the marked soaking spots.

Free activities include walking the grounds, soaking your feet at the public area, and boiling your own eggs — chicken, duck, or quail — in the designated pool, a genuinely popular local pastime here rather than a tourist gimmick. For a proper soak, there are ten private bathing rooms (five for men, five for women), each charging 50 THB per person. A small restaurant and a handful of souvenir stalls round out the facilities, along with traditional Thai massage for those staying longer.

Insider Tip: Bring your own eggs from a shop in Wang Chin or Den Chai on the way in — the egg-boiling pool is free to use, but there’s no guarantee of eggs for sale on site every day.

The forest setting keeps things cool and shaded even at midday, though the sulfur smell typical of geothermal springs is noticeable near the source pool. If you’re touring Wang Chin district anyway, Wiang Kosai National Park is only about 5 km away and has its own waterfalls and trails, and Mon Hin Kong, a cluster of wind-eroded sandstone pillars, makes a scenic stop on the same side of the district. Bring a towel, a change of clothes, and cash in small notes — the bath-room fee and any food purchases are cash-only.