Thailand Guides - Massage

Study Centers

In Thailand, Bangkok has evolved as a centre of massage schools. The most famous and perhaps oldest massage college is located in the royal temple of Wat Pho (www.watpho.com), which is just across the road from the grand palace. The school offers 3 most significant massage courses; namely general Thai massage, therapeutic and healing massage and foot massage. The first two courses require 30 hours of training each and cost around 175 US dollars per course. Courses in English are available for foreigners. The school is usually busy with people, locals and foreigners, lining up for registration. You are required to arrive at the school early in the morning since there is no advance enrollment. Students graduating from this school get a certificate that is approved by the Ministry of Public Health. If you are not planning to become a professional masseur, there are numerous schools in Bangkok that offer the same course.

Another place where you can find massage schools is Chiangmai. This northern capital is famous for its unique style of massage that differs slightly from schools in Bangkok. Many schools here such as Thai Massage School (Shivagakomarapa), International Training Massage School (ITM) and Thai Massage School of Chiangmai (TMC) offer a variety of massage courses from Thai table massage to professional teacher training. The course, which is taught in English, can last from 5 to 15 days with the tuitions around 105 or 330 dollars depending on the length of the course.