Thai massage: my journey, my teachers and my method
I have spent years learning Thai massage from many different hands. This is the story of how my way of teaching it came to be.
A journey with many teachers
Many Thai massage teachers follow a single lineage โ that of their school or their master. My journey has been different: I have studied at 5 schools and with 10 teachers, each with their own way of understanding this tradition.
I have travelled to Thailand five times, and in November 2026 I return for the sixth time. Each trip is to keep on learning.
My Teachers and Schools
All in Chiang Mai, except Wassa, who is in Bangkok.
ONG Thai Massage School
Chiang Mai
ITM
Chiang Mai
Boonthumme Thai Massage School
Chiang Mai ยท The school of the renowned master Ajahn Pichest Boonthumme (1958โ2023). There I studied with Aon, his son, and with Leela, Aon's partner.
Punya House
Chiang Mai ยท With Suriyan Punyafoo
Wat Pan Whaen
Chiang Mai ยท With Joe Khumlee
Ajarn Sinchai Sukparsert
Chiang Mai ยท A blind master and a legend of Thai massage. Now in his eighties, he continues to teach, and in 2025 I had the honour of interviewing him.
And also: Jack Chaya, Dew, Waen Chana and Kae, in Chiang Mai, and Wassa, in Bangkok.
To all of them, thank you. What I teach today carries a little of each one of them.
My approach to teaching
From each teacher, I kept what worked in my hands and with my clients, and left behind what didn't make sense to me. Over the years, I have combined this with what we now know about anatomy, biomechanics, and the nervous system.
The result is my own style: it respects the tradition of northern Thailand and adds to it Western science and my own creativity.
Certified teacher in Chiang Mai
I am a certified teacher by the ONG Thai Massage School in Chiang Mai, an institution recognised by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Thai Healing Alliance.
In my Thai Stretching courses (Stretching 1, 2 and 3), I follow their official programme, and upon completion you receive a certificate issued from Thailand.
My Thai massage modules
Module 1 ยท Thai Massage: Northern Style (table)
Open to all levels, and the foundation of my entire method. You leave the course with a complete 60 to 90 minute sequence. After that, your practice and dedication do the rest.
Modules 2 and 3 (floor)
Advanced Thai massage, stretching, and an introduction to Pha Khao Ma, Thai fabric massage.
Modules 4 and 5 (table)
Advanced stretching with strong influence from northern Thailand, and an introduction to Wรนo Taรฏ (Osteo-Dance).
We Begin with the Wai Kru
In my Thai tradition courses, we begin as they begin in Thailand: with the Wai Kru, the mantra of honour to Doctor Shivago.
Where do I start?
Photos with some of my teachers in Thailand
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