Memorable Press
Browse fonts
Wat Pho · A session · Courses · Etiquette

Thai massage and the Wat Pho tradition

Traditional Thai massage, nuat thai, is part of Thai traditional medicine: an hour or two of pressure and stretching, given fully clothed on a floor mattress, that UNESCO recognises as living heritage. Here is where it comes from, what happens in a session, how to choose a shop or a course, and when to ask a doctor first.

Where it comes from

Thai massage (นวดไทย, nuat thai) grew up in homes and temples as part of traditional medicine, taught from teacher to pupil and practised in families. Its founder, by tradition, is Jivaka Komarabhacca, a doctor of the Buddha’s time, whom Thai practitioners honour as the father doctor before they begin to learn. The theory behind it is a body crossed by lines, the sen, along which pressure is applied; ten main lines are taught.

In 2019 UNESCO inscribed Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage, on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as a practice handed down in communities and taught in recognised schools.

The Wat Pho tradition

The temple of Wat Pho in Bangkok, home of the great reclining Buddha, is the centre of the tradition. In the 1830s King Rama III had the temple restored as a place of public learning and ordered knowledge of every kind carved on stone: medicine, massage, literature, history, religion. The marble tablets include diagrams of the body with its pressure points, and recipes for traditional remedies. The Epigraphic Archives of Wat Pho, 1,431 inscriptions made between 1831 and 1841, are on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The same king had statues of hermits made in exercise postures, the origin of ruesi dat ton.

The temple still teaches. Its school of Thai traditional medicine and massage opened inside Wat Pho in 1955, and you can have a massage in its pavilions or take a course there.

What happens in a session

You change into loose clothes and lie on a mattress on the floor. The therapist works from the feet up, pressing along the lines with palms and thumbs, then elbows, knees and feet, and moves your body through stretches: legs folded and lifted, arms drawn back, the spine turned while you lie on your side. Some of it feels more like being folded than being rubbed. A full session lasts one to two hours, and the pace is slow. Many sessions finish with you sitting up while the shoulders and neck are worked.

Talk to the therapist. Most know a few words of English, and a few words of Thai help more:

ThaiRomanisedMeaning
เบาๆbao baogently, softer
แรงๆraeng raengharder, stronger
เจ็บchepit hurts
ตรงนี้trong nihere, this spot
ไม่ต้องนวดคอmai tong nuat khoplease leave my neck alone
พอแล้วpho laeothat’s enough

Necks deserve care. Strong, fast twists of the neck are not part of a gentle massage, and serious injuries have been reported after them; you can always ask for the neck to be left out.

Other kinds of massage

  • Foot massage (นวดเท้า, nuat thao): half an hour to an hour in a reclining chair, the feet and lower legs worked with thumbs and a small wooden stick. A good choice after a day of walking.
  • Oil massage (นวดน้ำมัน, nuat namman): gentler strokes with oil, on a table or mattress; not traditional, but offered almost everywhere.
  • Herbal compress (ลูกประคบ, luk prakhop): bundles of herbs such as plai and lemongrass, steamed and pressed along the body, often added to a traditional massage.

Choosing a shop

  • Look for a licence and certificates on the wall. Massage shops are regulated by the Ministry of Public Health as health establishments, and therapists are expected to have completed recognised training.
  • Clean mattresses, fresh clothes and towels are the minimum. A shop that is busy with Thai customers is a good sign.
  • Agree the price and length before you start; most shops have a printed menu.
  • Avoid shops that offer something else. A traditional massage shop does not solicit customers on the street with suggestive offers.

Learning Thai massage

Courses run from a few days for beginners to long professional programmes. Wat Pho’s school in Bangkok is the best-known, and Chiang Mai has many schools teaching the northern style, which uses more stretching. A good first course teaches the basic sequence on a partner, the lines and the safety rules, and makes you practise on fellow students for hours. Ask how many hours of hands-on practice the course includes, whether its certificate is recognised by a Thai authority if you plan to work, and who teaches it. Working as a massage therapist in Thailand is reserved for Thai nationals.

Sources

Checked against the sources below.

Questions people ask

Does Thai massage hurt?

It should not. It is firm, and some pressure points feel sharp, but you set the strength. Say เบาๆ bao bao for softer and เจ็บ chep if it hurts, and a good therapist will adjust at once. Pain that stays after a massage is a reason to see a doctor, not to book another session.

What do I wear for a Thai massage?

The shop gives you loose cotton trousers and a top to change into. Traditional Thai massage is done fully clothed, on a mattress on the floor, without oil. For an oil massage you undress to your underwear and are covered with a towel or sarong.

Should I tip after a massage in Thailand?

It is customary in ordinary massage shops, where therapists often earn much of their income from tips. Hand it to the therapist directly, in cash. Spas that add a service charge to the bill expect less or nothing.

Related

Ruesi dat tonRuesi dat ton, the Thai hermit exercises often sold as Thai yoga: the statues at Wat Pho, what the postures are, how they relate to Indian yoga and Thai massage, and how to learn them.Muay ThaiMuay Thai as a Thai institution: its history, the wai khru ram muay before a fight, the stadiums and how a bout is scored, gym etiquette, and how to choose a camp to train in.Buddhism in ThailandTheravada Buddhism as Thais live it: the temple and its buildings, monks and the morning alms round, making merit, ordination, the Sangha, and how to behave as a visitor.Chiang MaiChiang Mai for people who live there or plan to: the districts, the three seasons and the smoky months, getting around, where foreigners live, costs, and the temples including Doi Suthep.Thai cultureGuides to Thai culture: the calendar and public holidays, Buddhism and the temples, regional food, festivals, the anthems, Muay Thai, massage and the hermit exercises.