Class Details

If you go to any Thai Consulate or Embassy and say you want to learn Thai Massage in Thailand, the staff will likely say without hesitation “Watpo”.  Though credit for Thai Massage is given to doctor Jiwaka Komaraphat, the personal physician to the Buddha, Watpo is considered to be the birthplace of Thai massage in Thailand for the Thai people.

The monks use to practice Thai massage on each other to alleviate bodily discomforts after long days of meditating in the forest.  It was over time that the monks branched out to ail people in nearby villages who were not well.  And from then on, Thai massage spread to eventually become common place in Thailand, but not without first having gone through some tumultuous historical events until present day where it is now considered to be a medical discipline used for the treatment of a wide variety of aliments.

It is quite factual that all the Thai massage practiced in the world today originally stemmed from the teachings of Thai Massage from Watpo.  This is the basis from which all Thai massage stems, and what we can call the true foundation of Thai massage.

Workshop Description

The workshop will be a combination of theory and active participation, and will prepare students to perform a full 2.5 to 4 hour Thai Massage.  More specifically, participants will learn about:

• The history of Thai massage
• What is Thai Massage
• A Typical Session in Thai Massage
• Benefit of Thai Massage, Basic Anatomy and Physiology Processes Related to Thai Massage
• Skeleton, Bones, Joints, Muscles
• Stretching and Flexibility as it Relates to Thai Massage
• Sen (Energy) Lines (like Chinese Meridian Lines)
• Meditative Approach to Thai Massage & Breath-Work
• Contraindications to Thai massage
• Giver (Masseur / Masseuse) body posture (working stances) and body part (use of thumbs, palms, elbows, knees, and feet) and body weight usage
• Step-by-step procedure for massage positions, transitions, and 160+ techniques to use
• Guidelines for beginning and closing massage with receiver
• Tips for the Learning of Thai Massage
• Self-Care Tips for Thai Massage Giver
• Communication Between Giver and Receiver and Consultation Forms
• Mantra to Honour the Teachers

Key Difference Between the TMC Thai Massage and Watpo Thai Massage

The key difference between the two workshops is the actual Thai Massage curriculum. This Watpo Thai Massage workshop would be like Level 1 and Level 2 of the TMC Thai Massage workshop.  Also, besides one style goes begins from the feet to the head, with the other going from head to feet, there are also differences in the techniques utilized in the massage.  There are some similarities, yet quite a bit of differences also.  Like the Thai people say, it’s “same same but different”.  Different enough for it to warrant a TMC Thai Massage Workshop and a Watpo Style Thai Massage Workshop.

In the Watpo Thai Massage Workshop, students will learn over 160+ techniques, whereas you would learn over 160+ techniques over two TMC Workshops.

Certificate Upon Completion of the Workshop

Participants will have received a detailed illustrated manual and will have learned enough techniques to perform up to a 4 hour Thai massage.  A certificate of attendance will be given. Please read Cancellation Policy also.