Koh Phangan Activities - Thai Massage

Massage is the practice of applying structured pressure or vibration - manually or with mechanical aids - to the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and joints, to achieve a beneficial response. A form of therapy, massage can be applied to parts of the body or successively to the whole body, to heal injury, relieve psychological stress, manage pain, improve circulation and relieve tenion. Where massage is used for its physical and psychological benefits, it may be termed "therapeutic massage therapy" or manipulative therapy.

A simple one hour Thai massage will make you feeling relaxed and refreshed! But if you really want to understand the principles of massage and learn over 100 skills and styles then a traditional Thai massage course is the thing to do!

You have the choice of a full 30 hours training course learning all the skills or a 15 hours training course which covers less skills so depending on your time you have the choice to fit in a course that suits your schedule! 

A course can last more than a week, depending on how soon you learn the skills. A typical course is about 30 hours in total, with an examination at the end and a  Wat Poh approved certificate provided.

The Thai massage school is located in Haadrin, Koh Phangan and is a Wat Pho approved training center.  Wat Pho (Temple) is the main training school near Bangkok and is the Government recognised training school for Thai masseurs in Thailand.

Thai massage is usually soothing because of its emphasis on stretching and loosening the body. Its roots go back far into history, originating in India based on the Ayurveda, and then becoming popular in Thailand.

The massage taker changes into light clothes and lies on a mat or firm mattress on the floor. The massage giver leans on the taker's body using hands and forearms to apply firm rhythmic pressure to almost every part of the taker's body. In some gestures, legs and feet of the giver are used to fixate the body or limbs of the taker. In other gestures, hands fixate the body, while the feet do the massaging action. Usually no oil is applied. A full course of Thai massage typically lasts one to two hours, and includes pulling fingers, toes, ears etc., cracking the knuckles, walking on the taker's back, arching the taker's back in a rolling action etc. There is a standard procedure and rhythm to the massage.

Swedish Massage utilizes long, flowing strokes, often but not necessarily in the direction of the heart. Swedish massage is designed to increase circulation and blood flow. There are six basic strokes: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, compression and vibrations. Oil, cream, or lotion is applied on the skin to reduce friction and allow smooth strokes.

Foot massage, also known as reflexology, as practiced by the Chinese is performed in the context of chi, in that each spot on the sole of the foot corresponds to an internal organ, and the applied therapy is healing to one's overall well being. The theory supposes that an ailment of an internal organ will be associated with the nerve ending on the sole of the foot.

Before the massage, the patient's feet are soaked for about ten minutes in a foot bath, typically a dark colored solution of hot water and Chinese herbs. The massage therapist uses liberal amounts of medicated cream, to moisturize the foot and to provide lubrication. The knuckles on the therapist's hand are usually used to provide a hard and smooth implement for the massage. As pressure is applied to the sole, theory holds that a healthy patient should not feel any strong pain. Painful spots, reflexologists believe, reflect illnesses of other parts of the body. The practitioner rubs and massages the painful spots to break down rough spots and accumulated crystals and increase circulation.  The ailments are healed when the sore spots of the sole are treated and removed by massage.

Places on courses are limited as you normally have a one-on-one with your instructor, so it is better to pre-book your course before you arrive on Koh Phangan.

You can book online here, for Thai, Swedish or foot massage courses or on arrival at Backpackers Information Centre, on Koh Pha-Ngan Island.

Vehicle Rental Koh Phangan

Jeep Rental per 24 hours (we do not book these online)	1000 THB	30.55 USD	23.4 EUR	Booking
Moped rental per 24 hours (we do not book these online)	200 THB	6.11 USD	4.68 EUR	Booking

Spas, Massage, Sauna, Treatments and Bodywraps

One hour Thai massage (we do not book this online)	300 THB	9.16 USD	7.02 EUR	Booking
Thai Massage Course - 30 hours (upto 10 days)	6000 THB	183.27 USD	140.38 EUR	Booking
Swedish (oil) massage Course - 30 hours (upto 10 days)	6000 THB	183.27 USD	140.38 EUR	Booking
Foot Massage Course - 15 hours	3000 THB	91.64 USD	70.19 EUR	Booking
Thai Massage Course -15 hours over 5 days	3000 THB	91.64 USD	70.19 EUR	Booking
Massage Therapy practised within 10 days	6000 THB	183.27 USD	140.38 EUR	Booking
Reiki level 1 - 10 hrs over 2 days	3000 THB	91.64 USD	70.19 EUR	Booking