Medical tourism and ancient healing: Thai massage and wellness, the back story

About Medical tourism and ancient healing: Thai massage and wellness, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Bangkok Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Thailand’s tradition of massage, nuad Thai, is taught at Wat Pho, where the temple grounds have long been a centre of traditional medicine. Today Bangkok offers everything from a one-hour foot massage to a week at an integrative wellness retreat, and its private hospitals draw patients from across the world.

Wat Pho and nuad Thai

The Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School teaches and practises traditional massage within the temple grounds; visitors can book a massage there after seeing the Reclining Buddha (watpomassage.com).

The spas

The Oriental Spa sits across the river from the Mandarin Oriental, reached by the hotel’s boat. In the Bang Krachao green belt, RAKxa offers integrative wellness programmes (the spas’ websites).

Book a massage at Wat Pho after your temple visit; save the riverside spa for the last afternoon.

Day spas and massage

Chains such as Let’s Relax, Health Land and Divana run day spas across the city, from Sukhumvit to the malls (their websites).

Hospitals

Bumrungrad International Hospital on Sukhumvit Soi 3, Bangkok Hospital and Samitivej all have international departments and interpreters (the hospitals’ websites).

In an emergency

Call 191 for the police and 1155 for the Tourist Police (thailand.go.th), and 1669 for an ambulance (the Australian government’s Smartraveller); carry travel insurance that covers medical costs.

Our advice: always check that a massage shop is clean and licensed, and tell the therapist about any injury before you start.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Medical tourism and ancient healing: Thai massage and wellness, the back story before you go.