Where to Get a Thai Massage in Bangkok: Wat Pho and Established Spas

If you are looking for where to get a Thai massage in Bangkok, start at Wat Pho. The temple is home to the Watpo Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School, which teaches the therapy and runs several massage centers in and around the temple, at fixed, published prices. For a longer, quieter treatment, the spas at Bangkok's established hotels offer traditional Thai massage in private rooms, at hotel prices.

Traditional Thai massage is a therapeutic practice: the therapist uses palms, thumbs, elbows and assisted stretches along the body's energy lines, and you usually stay dressed in loose clothing provided by the center. Here is where to find it, and how to choose.

Wat Pho: the school that teaches Thai massage

Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha in the Old City, is closely tied to traditional Thai medicine, and its school, now operating as Watpo & Chetawan, teaches Thai massage courses as well as offering treatments. Its massage services are the most straightforward way to try a traditional Thai massage from therapists trained in the Wat Pho method, and the prices are the same at each of its temple-area centers.

Where the Wat Pho massage centers are

• The massage pavilion inside Wat Pho. This is the one most visitors see. It is walk-in only, with no bookings, and opens from 9 a.m. with the last treatment taken an hour before closing.
• Tha Tien Riverside and Tha Tien branches. Several centers sit on the small lanes off Maharat Road around Tha Tien pier, a short distance from the temple. Some accept bookings on weekday mornings with a deposit; on weekends and public holidays they are walk-in only.
• Wanpho Massage & Wellness and the Wanpho Thai Traditional Clinic, also near Tha Tien, run by the same organization. The clinic focuses on therapy sessions, including sports rehabilitation, and offers consultations with a physician.

Plan it with a visit: see the temple in the morning, take a massage, then walk to Museum Siam in the same Tha Tien neighborhood, or take the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier to Wat Arun. Expect a wait at the temple pavilion at busy times.

Learning Thai massage at Wat Pho

If one session is not enough, the school runs courses from a few hours to professional programs. Short options include a six-hour course in Thai massage on a table and a five-hour course in reusi dat ton, the traditional self-stretching exercises. The general Thai massage and foot reflexology courses run 30 hours each, and the professional programs run to 150 hours or more. Courses are taught at the Chetawan school branch on Soi Phenphat 1 near Tha Tien.

Thai massage at established hotel spas

Hotel spas cost more but give you a private room, a longer menu and time to shower and rest afterward. Several of the hotels we cover have spas that put traditional Thai therapy at the center:

• The Oriental Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. The spa is in a traditional Thai residence with 18 treatment rooms on the Thonburi bank, reached by the hotel's boat across the river. Its treatments draw on traditional Thai healing, and the hotel says non-resident guests are welcome to book, with reservations recommended.
• Aman Spa at Aman Nai Lert Bangkok. A three-floor wellness center with a dedicated Thai massage room. Its three-hour signature journey is built around a Royal Thai massage with heated rice compresses.
• Other hotel spas. Most of the large hotels in our Bangkok hotels guide have their own spa; check the hotel's spa menu for traditional Thai massage and whether it accepts outside guests.

Book hotel spas in advance, especially for weekend afternoons, and check whether the price includes service charge and tax.

Traditional Thai massage and its variations

• Thai massage: pressure along the body's lines plus stretching, done fully clothed on a mat or table.
• Foot massage: reflexology-style work on the feet and lower legs, a good choice after a day of walking.
• Thai massage with balm or plai oil: adds a herbal balm or plai (a ginger-family plant) oil to ease sore muscles.
• Herbal compress: steamed bundles of Thai herbs pressed onto the body, often added to a traditional massage.

How to choose a massage

• Look for a posted price list and a clean, open treatment area. Established centers show durations and prices up front.
• Tell the therapist about injuries, pregnancy or health conditions before you start, and say if the pressure is too strong. Thai massage can be firm.
• Allow time. A 60-minute session is the standard; two hours gives a full-body treatment.
• Tipping is customary but not required; our guide on how much to tip in Bangkok has the details, and how much a massage costs in Bangkok compares prices.

Sources: Watpo & Chetawan: services, Watpo & Chetawan: branches, Watpo & Chetawan: courses, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok: wellness, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok: wellness. Checked September 26, 2026.