Thailand to Train 7,000 Massage Therapists Amid Industry Shortage

[snoop1130]

File photo for reference only

 

Thailand's Public Health Ministry plans to train 7,000 new massage therapists to fill a workforce gap in its 200 billion baht massage industry. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin announced on December 22 that this initiative aims to make Thai traditional massage a complementary treatment alongside conventional medicine.

 

The training program will focus on treating seven chronic conditions: office syndrome, shoulder issues, locked-finger disease, hip muscle impingement, herniated discs, paralysis, and reproductive system disorders.

 

 

Ministry Advisor Kosit Suvinitjit noted a shortage of 70,000 practitioners, including 50,000 masseurs and 20,000 therapists. With professional masseurs earning around 20,000 baht monthly, filling this gap could add 12 billion baht annually to the industry. The impact in therapy services is projected to be higher, with therapists earning about 176,000 baht monthly potentially contributing an extra 42.24 billion baht each year.

 

The initiative will also benefit related businesses such as massage parlors and herbal product manufacturers. Somsak emphasized the massage industry's vital role in making Thailand a global health hub, stating the expansion of specialized skills will boost the health economy and trust in Thai massage as a complementary treatment.

 

-- 2024-12-23

 

 

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The training program will focus on treating seven chronic conditions: office syndrome, shoulder issues, locked-finger disease, hip muscle impingement, herniated discs, paralysis, and reproductive system disorders.

Happy endings with a full cure

[loong]

Things must have changed then.
An ex of mine was a trained and qualified masseuse but found it very difficult to earn a reasonable amount. The masseuses were only paid if they had customers with most of them sitting idle all day.

 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

With professional masseurs earning around 20,000 baht monthly, filling this gap could add 12 billion baht annually to the industry

I don't see how training more will create more customers. It will probably mean that the bosses will pay the staff even less commission.

[bkk6060]

Don´t know the training or what status massage they are talking about.  I think I have heard of more people getting injured here, including myself, by supposed professional legit massage therapists.  Having them deal with things like herniated discs with a few weeks of training seems very stupid and dangerous.

[thesetat]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Ministry Advisor Kosit Suvinitjit noted a shortage of 70,000 practitioners, including 50,000 masseurs and 20,000 therapists. With professional masseurs earning around 20,000 baht monthly,

This number will increase dramatically if they train them how to make really happy endings. 

I wish they would make it illegal to hire anyone without licensing and schooling in massage therapy. All too often massage parlors hire anyone willing to do the work leaving them untrained as professionals and causing minor injuries on their customers. 

[john donson]

did all the little ghosts go to better earning places?

[Lalo27]

As long as the customer is happy...

[G_Money]

Seems to be an over abundance of shops rather than a shortage.

 

 

[kingstonkid]

3 hours ago, loong said:

Things must have changed then.
An ex of mine was a trained and qualified masseuse but found it very difficult to earn a reasonable amount. The masseuses were only paid if they had customers with most of them sitting idle all day.

 

I don't see how training more will create more customers. It will probably mean that the bosses will pay the staff even less commission.

 

I think the idea might be to have them in hospitals although I agree I do not see or know many massage therapists that make 20k. That is 800baht a day on a 6 day work week.  Seems a little high and I can imagine the cost for a simple massage 

 

However I d know who is gong to enjoy this and that is all the elite that own or have their fingers in Massage schools.

[loong]

3 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

 

I think the idea might be to have them in hospitals although I agree I do not see or know many massage therapists that make 20k. That is 800baht a day on a 6 day work week.  Seems a little high and I can imagine the cost for a simple massage 

 

However I d know who is gong to enjoy this and that is all the elite that own or have their fingers in Massage schools.

 

My ex worked in a government hospital for a while, but didn't stay long as again, she only got paid per massage and it was a pittance. Many days she was not paid enough to cover travel costs!

[kingstonkid]

On 12/24/2024 at 1:56 PM, loong said:

 

My ex worked in a government hospital for a while, but didn't stay long as again, she only got paid per massage and it was a pittance. Many days she was not paid enough to cover travel costs!

 

That may be the issue they have to be salaried or it will not work.

[ronnie50]

Having had hundreds of (legit) massages in Thailand through the years, I can tell almost immediately, if I'm going to get a massage from someone well-trained. As soon as the masseuse lays a hand on your feet at the beginning of a Thai massage or foot massage, she (or he) should bend your feet back and forth and then massage the lower legs one by one for a a few minutes. If they, instead, immediately reach for the lotion bottle, I know I'm not getting a foot massage - just an hour of someone slathering my legs with lotion. Once I find a good masseuse trained at Wat Po (or trained by someone who went through that training), I make a note of their name and become a repeat customer. On Thai massage, in a new place, I ask for a one hour massage - if it's good (again I can tell if the first few minutes) I might ask for 90-120 minutes. If not good, I put up with her thumbs digging into me for an hour - and never return.   

[Crossy]

Madam is a trained and licenced Thai masseuse in Italy. Pounding fat Italian ladies in a "Centro Esthetico" at 50 Euro an hour (what they charged, not what she was paid) in the vain hope they would return to what they looked like 15 years before. With an Italian lady you definitely need to look at her mum!!

 

I got regular massages when we were courting, Happy Endings every time 😛 

 

We've been married 20 years last November; I can count the number of massages I've had since then on the fingers of my left ear!! 😞 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Although Pattaya has record numbers of massage shops they do seem to struggle to find massage ladies, but the real problem is too many shops, many ladies get few customers a day