The following part is for anyone with a curiosity or interest in Thai massage. We have created this page in response to many questions we receive from people who would like to know where to study Thai massage or who simply want to find out more information about this therapy.

We are also interested in creating links with other Thai massage practitioners and Thai massage students, and perhaps have the opportunity to exchange ideas. Of interest are of course also those practitioners who practice both Thai massage and Shiatsu.

This document is revised in the summer of 2010 and we have gathered this information for general use; we have nothing to do with the books, schools and websites we refer to.

Books

We studied Thai massage at different schools in Chiang Mai and at Wat Pho in Bangkok. We use the manuals from our schools for general reference: Mama Nit, ITM and Wat Pho.

The real bibles that we keep on coming back to (and which are Ralf´s favourites) are Asokananda´s books (the red and purple books, the purple book is a little harder to get hold of). Annica´s favourites are Mercati´s book and Shapiro´s book (which is quite difficult to get hold of). We would also recommend some additional background reading of books which focus on a more Western perspective to supplement the Thai massage books. This can aid communication with colleagues and clients who do not have background in the more traditional Thai perspective on the body.

Thai massage books:

-      The Art of Traditional Thai Massage, Asokananda (red book); excellent.

-      Thai Traditional Massage for Advanced Practitioners, Asokananda (purple book); excellent.

-      Thai Massage 2nd edition, Richard Gold (a good book; its “outline of a good routine” is the same as as our “basic” routine. Includes dvd.)

-      Thai Traditional Massage, Maxime M. Shapiro (very good in its comparison with yoga postures and friendly written).

-      Thai Massage Manual, Maria Mercati (nicely presented and good descriptions of sen-lines (drawn on a photographed body), although it mostly uses Chinese meridians as reference.

-      Encyclopedia of Thai Massage, C.Pierce Salguero (comprehensive. A nice thing about this book is that its focus is solely on Thai massage, only explaining the origins of Thai massage but not comparing it with the meridian system or other Eastern massage techniques. Also very thorough in showing the corresponding yoga positions to the Thai massage movements.)

-      Thai Yoga Massage, Kam Thye Chow (basic; includes dvd.)

-      Traditional Thai Medicine, C.Pierce Salguero (not an easy read, but probably one of the best books around on the topic of TTM. He writes himself that the study of TTM – in English – has only just begun. It also presents the origins of Thai Traditional Medicine and its correlations with Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.)

Medicine books:

-         Geriatrik, Jansson/Almberg (diseases and study of elderly)

-         Medicinsk Grundkurs, Gillå (basic medical knowledge)

-         Patient Fass, (book which lists the common medicines in use in

      Sweden)

General Health/Pathology books:

-         Strategi för identifiering av patologi, Niclas Hjelm

-         Pathology – Implications for the physical therapist, Goodman et.

      all (quite advanced)

Various books:

-         The Spiritual Healing of Traditional Thailand, C.Pierce Salguero

-         Behandla dig själv (self massage), Kristine Kaoverii Weber

-         Den Självläkande Människan, Susanna Ehdin

Anatomy & Movement books:

-         Atlas of Human Anatomy, Netter (excellent)

-         Basic Clinical Massage Therapy, James H.Clay (quite advanced, 

       great dvd included.)

-         Anatomy of Movement, Blandine

Thai massage schools

We hesitate to write too much about schools as we haven’t travelled to Chiangmai ourselves recently. It still seems that the best schools (and private teachers) are in Chiangmai. Updated lists of schools can be found on the Taomountain website. Schools which have a long teaching history are: The Old Medicine Hospital, ITM and Loi Kroh. There is also a Thai government school just outside Chiangmai (TMC) and courses are given by the students of the late Asokananda through the Sunshine Network. There are a whole range of private teachers and masters, like Pichest (Boonthume), Mama Nit (Chaimongkhol Nid) as well as outstanding blind thai massage practitioners like Nat (Suppattra massage school of the blind). An interesting story of studying with Pichest (with many pictures) is written on the blog of Kevin Courtney.

Thai massage is called Nuad Bo-Rarn in Thai; in the West some people call it Thai Yoga Massage, or Ancient Massage. There is also a distinction between Southern and Northern style (We studied the Northern style).

We once met a person who was completely stressed out because she wanted to see many masters and learn as much as she could about Thai massage in a very short time. We didn’t find it that easy to find names and locations of schools and teachers while we were in Thailand, so it might be wise to surf the internet and plan a little before you actually get to Chiangmai. It’s important to allow yourself time for just being there and enjoying it! Try typing the following words in on Google: Thai massage Chiang Mai and see what comes up. Or click on one of these links below.

There are also Thai massage courses in Sweden. Tina Muller teaches Level 1-4 courses in Stockholm and Itzhak Helman sometimes teaches in Borntorpet, Skinnskatteberg, in the Swedish countryside.

www.tyma.info Itzak Helman. Advanced and beginners courses in Thai massage all over the world

www.thaimassagecircus.com/ Month-long Thai massage courses for advanced practitioners

www.thaimassagecircus.com/links.html Good links, mostly to practitioners of the Sunshine Network

http://www.osteothai.com/index.php?lang=en Arno L´Hermitte and David Lutt, meeting of Thai massage and osteopathy

www.thaimassage.se Tina Muller’s practice in Stockholm, also courses in Thai massage

www.borntorpet.se Course centre in Skinnskatteberg, Sweden, sometimes courses in Thai massage

http://www.pichestthaimassage.com/index.php Pichest Boonthumme

www.taomountain.org Much info about Thai massage and Thai medicine

www.thaimassage.com General info about Thai massage

www.asokananda.com Late Asokananda´s website; The Sunshine Network

www.thaimassage-shiatsu.de German practice

http://www.thaihealingmassage.com Shama´s Thai massage i Thailand

http://thaihealingalliance.com

www.itmthaimassage.com ITM Chiangmai

www.nuad-chiangmai.com Loi Kroh school, Chiangmai

www.tmcschool.com Government Thai massage school, Chiangmai

www.thaimassageschool.ac.th/ Foundation of Jivaka - The Old Medicine Hospital, Chiangmai

www.yogamassage.nl Thai massage and courses in Eindhoven, Netherlands

www.yogawien.com Jutta Mittermayer´s yoga in Vienna, Austria

www.sunshinenz.com/ Don Bertram, professional Thai Yoga massage

www.shiatsu-thaimassage.be Hilde Van Speybroeck, Thaimassage and Shiatsu in Gent, Belgium

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thai+yoga+massage&aq=0&oq=thai+yoga+ma

Direct link for short films on Thai Yoga Massage (often Westerners)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thai+massage&aq=f

Direct link for short films on Thai massage (often Thai practitioners and Thai massage schools)

http://www.ancientmassage.com/ Rahul Bharti - The Kathmandu Centre of Healing

http://www.chiangmai.sawadee.com Comprehensive tourist information about Chiang Mai

http://www.byronthaimassage.com Byron Bay (Australia) Thai Massage & School from Valentina Gombi.

http://www.kharuna.web-log.nl/ Ancient Sen Healing from Roberto Calor

http://www.sunshine-massage-school.com The Sunshine Network / massage schools (Chiang Mai - Thailand)

http://www.thaimassage.gr Greece: professional Thai Yoga massage school & accommodation.

http://www.thaitraditionalyogamassage.com Felicity Keebaugh, professional Thai Yoga massage.

http://www.panchendriya.com Prabhat Menon, Mumba, professional Thai Yoga massage & Ayurveda.

http://www.zenthaishiatsu.com Practice in Thaimassage and Zen Shiatsu (combining the two).

http://www.muditathaiyoga.com Practice in Thai massage, also courses.

http://www.waithai.it Cristina Radivo, professional Thai Yoga massage therapist, Italy.

http://www.shantaya.org/press.php Article on Thai Yoga bodywork.

http://www.arnothaimassage.com Arnaud L´hermittes is an Osteopath who combines his techniques with Thai massage (see ´Thai massage circus´)