CynthiaL

I'm American and only hold a US passport and just last month I was able to apply for and get approved for my 6 month METV while in Auckland, New Zealand (when I was visiting there as a tourist). I emailed the consulate in Auckland in advance to ask if I could apply and got confirmation I could. You must apply in person. Although I was told it could take 3-4 working days to process the application, my visa was approved the following business day and was ready for pick up. Application requirements were the same as if I were to have applied at my NYC consulate. I provided my US bank statement as proof of income (you must show that you have the equivalent of $9,000 NZD/per person of $18,000/per family), a printout of my confirmed flight to Thailand e-ticket, my passport, a passport sized photo, and paid the $250 NZD application fee in cash (paid in NZD currency). $250 NZD is about $185 USD, so the visa fee came out to a bit less than than the fee when applying in the US. And I had no problems using the visa...I'm in Thailand now!

I went to Apple Salon near On Nut BTS station across the road from Big C shopping plaza and near The Base apt complex where I lived on Sukhumvit 77. The owner's name is Apple and she speaks fluent English. She has a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Applehairstyles. I was able to book an appointment with her via the LINE app because when I originally walked into the salon as I was passing by in the neighborhood the staff didn't speak fluent English so they gave me the salon's business card and said I can call or message the owner to make an appt. The salon may just look like a basic local hair salon from the outside but they're very professional and it was always busy when I went in there, with locals and expats who lived in the nearby condos. Excellent prices over the overpriced salons that target westerners like ZenRed and Zahara with their flashy English websites. I've been finding that the best deals are outside of tourist trap Bangkok neighborhoods. I got a double process bleach and pink fashion ombré color application (on my natural dark hair) and it came out amazing where the color actually showed and was even. She posted a photo of the results on Facebook - I think it was around Mar 2017. It was only 2000 baht for the double process and included styling at no extra charge. Other salons i inquired at Zahara, ZenRed, in Ekkamai and in Habito Mall quoted double to triple and more (some salons were quoting a lot more saying that the color I want is "difficult to achieve")! I also got mink eyelash extensions here for 1000 baht and they lasted about 4 weeks. I also saw they offered facials but hadn't gotten any from here yet.

I went to Apple Salon near On Nut BTS station across the road from Big C shopping plaza and near The Base apt complex where I lived on Sukhumvit 77. The owner's name is Apple and she speaks fluent English. She has a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Applehairstyles. I was able to book an appointment with her via the LINE app because when I originally walked into the salon as I was passing by in the neighborhood the staff didn't speak fluent English so they gave me the salon's business card and said I can call or message the owner to make an appt. Apple charges 600 baht for synthetic and 1000 baht for mink. I went for the mink option and Apple was very thorough in asking me what length and look I wanted to achieve. The results came out great and lasted nearly a month. The salon may just look like a basic local hair salon from the outside but they're very professional and it was always busy when I went in there, with locals and expats who lived in the nearby condos. Excellent prices over the overpriced salons that target westerners like ZenRed and Zahara with their flashy English websites. I've been finding that the best deals are outside of tourist trap Bangkok neighborhoods. I also got my hair done at Apple Salon - a double process bleach and pink fashion ombré color application (on my natural dark hair) and it came out amazing where the color actually showed and was even. She posted a photo of the results on Facebook - I think it was around Mar 2017. It was only 2000 baht for the double process and included styling at no extra charge. Other salons i inquired at Zahara, ZenRed, in Ekkamai and in Habito Mall quoted double to triple and more! I also saw they offered facials but hadn't gotten any from here yet. 

You can inquire with M-Brace Orthodontic Clinic on 121 Huaykaew Road, near the Nimman area to see if they offer the procedure that you're looking for: http://www.mbracedentalclinic.com/

Even though they're called an Orthodontic Clinic they actually are a full dental clinic and have an orthodontist on site every 2 weeks.

I originally came across them because I moved to an apt bldg nearby and originally asked about Invisalign (which costs 95K baht for a lite case and 150K baht for a full case). I had to pay 300 baht for a orthodontist consultation fee, but their Invisalign price for a light case was cheaper than quote I got from Dental World which was 120K baht (for reference, Dental World offers free consultations).

I found that for M-Brace Orthodontic Clinic they offered the cheapest dental exam + scale & polish cleaning in the area. I only paid 700 baht and my cleaning was very thorough. Other dental clinics in the area quoted 1000+ baht for the same service. I'm also going back for a filling tomorrow on a front canine tooth which I was quoted would cost 800 baht (the filling will only be on 1 surface). And when I got teeth examined the dentist did mention that there was a cavity in one of my lower wisdom tooth as well, so I have to make a decision on if it's bothersome enough to get it removed now or wait. I think they said it would cost somewhere around 1500-3000 baht to get wisdom teeth removed...I'm going to ask again tomorrow in case I decide I want to go through with in. 

They seem to offer very reasonable prices and the staff speaks English. I was able to request a quote and book my first appointment for a dental exam and cleaning via the LINE app without any problems.  I also saw a few expats in the waiting room the last time I was there. And everyone who works there is very friendly.

Dental World is a larger facility and when I went there it was very busy but I was seen right away on schedule. They seem very reputable there too and seemed very popular with expats as well as locals. If you live closer to this clinic I think they are worth visiting as well.

I've just gotten my 1st fraxel CO2 treatment in Chiang Mai and had a wonderful experience! The place I went to is called Aura Clinic, and also goes by Aura Women's Center (this is what shows up on Google Maps). The staff and the female doctor/dermatologist there are all very nice and there was no hard sell (or any type of sell) when I got there. The doctor explained the treatment in great detail to me and answered all of my questions, leaving me to decide whether or not I want to go through with the procedure. I ended up signing up for a 4 treatment package - spaced 1 month apart to allow your skin to recover and regrow new skin cells -  since I will be in Chiang Mai for about 6 months. The package was 8500 baht (I just purchased today) but you can also buy a single session for 2500 baht which is the best price that I have found when inquiring both in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. And because I bought the package I even get a free facial treatment and I will be redeeming in about 2 weeks when I go back just for a follow-up from the doctor so that she can also check to see how my skin is peeling! She also takes before and after photos (so that you can monitor your progress, not for any commercial purposes) and she said that she will send me the photos.

I found the clinic through a google search for Fraxel in Chiang Mai. I came across their facebook page which is all in Thai but I used the "translate this page" feature to read the posts in English: https://www.facebook.com/Auraclinicchiangmai/

Then I messaged them via the LINE app (virtually everyone in Thailand uses this app and this is what I primarily have been using to get quotes from different clinics) prior to me arriving to Chiang Mai to inquire about pricing and was able to also schedule my appointment for a free consultation via the app. The person who responded to me on the app (the receptionist) communicated with me in English so there was no language barrier. And the doctor speaks English fluently too! When I got my 1st fraxel treatment done today she even gave me her personal LINE ID to text her directly if I need to make any changes to my next appointment date. She gave me her LINE ID because she said not all staff members in the clinic speak English and she wanted to make sure that I can get in touch with someone without any problems. Although when I went to the clinic today, I had no communication issues at all with the staff to pay and schedule my next appt. The doctor's assistant who preps your skin and applies the numbing cream was also very friendly and spoke English. She was super polite and also asked "may I please" do this and that prior to doing anything to my face, such as "may I please clean your face," "may I please apply the numbing cream and massage your face," "may I please apply the eye protection," etc. In the US I don't think I ever received such nice treatment when seeing a dermatologist! The dermatologist was also very nice in asking me periodically if I was experiencing any pain/if it got too hot during the laser treatment.

I will see how my next 3 sessions go and will update accordingly. But I really wanted to recommend anyone looking to do the Fraxel treatment to look into them. I don't think that many foreigners know about this clinic because the doctor had asked me how I heard about them - they aren't located in an expat neighborhood. I had to take an uber from the Nimman area and it took about 12-15 minutes depending on traffic and only cost around 74.50 - 93 baht one way, depending on what time you go. I had asked around for quotes in the Nimman and Old City area and the prices were much higher for the fraxel treatment. Oh and the dermatologist told me that their facility also has an OBGYN! She explained, hence the name "Aura Women's Center". I've coincidentally been looking online to find an OBGYN in Chiang Mai, so I've booked a appt here to see one in about 2 weeks! I think the OBGYN is a male (all of my previous have always been female) though...because the dermatologist had mentioned "he" in the conversation.

Some places that I've asked and got quotes for in Chiang Mai are: 

1) Chat Peera Clinic: (via email)

Our Ultrapulse Fractional CO2 laser program(at Skin dream laser center by Chat-Peera,our new branch) is depending on the modality and the areas to be lasers.