In Good Thai Hands!

Thai massage can either be viewed as relieving physical pain or as a healing process, its focus being to maintain the body’s balance. Yet, the origins of massage in the Kingdom are strictly derived from Buddhism. With the spread of the religion from India, monks also brought their health practice, one of which was massage. As temples were built, beginning in the third century BC, so too were medical facilities. One of these, what become known as Thai massage – was taught at the temples – a tradition that continues to this day at places like Bangkok’s Wat Pho. There are also elements of yoga, traditional Chinese medicine and Japanese shiatsu included in Thai massage, the sen energy lines being similar to meridian energy lines common in Chinese acupuncture. With all of this history in mind, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that aspiring students of Thai massage take up to 800 hours of training over four months, with blind masseurs enrolling in a specialized 1,200 hour program.