Thai Massage Course

[Trailblazer]

I'm thinking about taking the thai traditional massage course at Wat Pho. I was wondering if anyone here has taken the course and have any opinion/advice to share. Anyone?

[Jeff1]

My wife's sister took classes there . Very good school . She gave me a massage now I wish I would have married her

[Abandon]

Mate of mine did it while he was here on holiday. He said that if you get a sweet blond Swedish girl for a partner it is good fun.

His hands ached, his muscles ached, and after a few days of it he was walking like a Thunderbird puppet. You partner up and practise massaging with your partner. Also you practise on a mat on the floor which is heavy on the knees if you are not used to it. He said the teacher was nice and had fair english, and he learnt some fairly advanced moves that he was not willing to try on me. Some he could not do because he himself is about as bendy as a girder. He did it for impressing girls .... now he just needs to find a date.

[Elle_bkk]

I took the 'Traditional Thai massage" class and then the "oil massage class" in a row at the end of last year .

The Traditional course is kinda hard at first as you have to remember the long procedure and your thumbs and body will be aching like crazy

(your thumbs because you seldom use them in daily life and then you have to press hundreds time / and your body because everyday the teacher will use you to teach your partner, and then your partner will practise on you (ouch!))

As the days go by, you gain confidence and your body can handle the pain better. And when the class stops you really miss the daily massage !!!

Thai students also have to attend theory classes for several days in a classroom - but farang are only thaught the practical part.

I would say the experience will mainly depend on your instructor (not that much on the partner - but a cute/nice one will always make it more enjoyable )

Mine was a serious teacher who is often sent overseas to teach in luxury spas. She is really kind, can speak good english and look after your every moves. We were lucky because we saw most teachers around did not really care after the students and were most busy chatting together.

Ask for Khun Ponthida if she is free

I really enjoyed both classes as you also meet lots of cool people from different backgrounds (most of the foreign students are farangs from Europe and plan to work as therapist back home).

[Trailblazer]

Elle, I never heard of anyone doing the oil massage course, how is it and do you think it's worth? I'm thinking about doing just the thai traditional and reflexology course. I read that it's best to finish the course in the shortest time possible, that is doing the five days/six hours option, would you agree with that? And last, is doing such a course enough to get work in the west as a masseuse in thai traditional massage?

[Elle_bkk]

Elle, I never heard of anyone doing the oil massage course, how is it and do you think it's worth? I'm thinking about doing just the thai traditional and reflexology course. I read that it's best to finish the course in the shortest time possible, that is doing the five days/six hours option, would you agree with that? And last, is doing such a course enough to get work in the west  as a masseuse in thai traditional massage?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry, I was out of Thailand for over 1 month and just back today. Missed Thaivisa forum.

Oil massage course is very easy and I must say I had good laugh.

There was this german guy who obiously get a hard whenever the girl tend to massage to close to this poor bloke private parts hahaha - i still can hear him screaming 'it s not a sex massage!' in the massage class and standing up to recollect himself (and getting softer) while avoiding the eyes of the poor thai lady student who was obviously as ashamed as troubled. And a UK girl who liked to tell about her drugs and orgies stories and who did not understand why women got their breasts hidden under the towel during massage, claiming we all have the same bodies.

(I pity her massage partner as obviously her body hygien was really really poor.)

Coming back to your question, I would say training of oil massage is ok ...

Oil massage is not really the traditional/autentic style style, but people usually enjoy it because it s relaxing and pleasant, unlike the dynamic traditional thai massage...

I trust standards in the West are higher as fees there are higher too... but as any therapeutic job, it not only depends on your technical skills, but also on how you deal with people (make them feel safe and confortable when you massage etc.)

But it s still a certificate (dunno which value it may have in the west...) and definitely a good start if you want to learn it genuinely.

I am enrolling for the reflexology class tomorrow ... hope they won't close for May Day...