Thai massage could get Unesco status as 2,000-year-old skill goes global

Thai massage, or nuad Thai, is ubiquitous across the kingdom, and can cost tourists as little as US$5 an hour

Thousands flock to Thailand every year to learn the skill, which studies have shown can help relieve back pain, insomnia and even anxiety

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A Thai massage instructor (left) trains his student from Hong Kong at the Wat Po Thai traditional massage school in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:30am, 10 Dec 2019Updated: 4:33pm, 10 Dec 2019

At the Reclining Buddha temple in Bangkok, Krairath Chantrasri says he is a proud custodian of a 2,000-year-old skill – the body-folding, sharp-elbowed techniques of Thai massage, which this week could be added to Unesco’s prestigious heritage list.

From upscale Bangkok spas and Phuket beachfronts to modest street-side shophouses, “nuad Thai” – or Thai massage – is ubiquitous across the kingdom, where an hour of the back-straightening discipline can cost as little as US$5.

This week it may be added to Unesco’s list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” when the body meets in the Colombian capital of Bogota on December 9-14.

Krairath, who teaches at the Reclining Buddha School inside the famed Wat Pho temple, helps thousands of Thai and foreign students who flock to the centre each year.

Tourists at the Wat Po Thai traditional massage centre on December 3, 2019, in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

The son of a masseuse, he takes great pride in his role sharing the ancient discipline at a temple whose certification is a proud banner for any massage shop.

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