HISTORY
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images of 160 ft length: the Reclining Buddha. Wat Po, being the center of Thai medicine and massage for centuries, opened the Wat Po Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School in 1955 on the temple grounds, the first such school approved by the Thai Ministry of Education.
The founder of Thai massage and medicine is said to have been Shivago Komarpaj, who is said in the Pāli Buddhist Canon to have been the Buddha's physician over 2,500 years ago. In fact, the history of Thai massage is more complex than this legend of a single founder would suggest. Thai massage, like TTM more generally, is a combination of influences from Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian cultural spheres and traditions of medicine, and the art as it is practiced today is likely to be the product of a 19th-century synthesis of various healing traditions from all over the kingdom. Even today, there is considerable variation from region to region across Thailand, and no single routine or theoretical framework that is universally accepted among healers.
There are various different styles of Thai Massage with clear distinctions. The royal style (Rajasamnak) is historically only used to treat the aristocracy and Royal family. It is a very codified style involving acupressure on specific points and a clear distinction between giver and receiver. The Popular style (Chalosiak) with its many regional variations, is what is commonly known as Thai Massage. There is also the Traditional Regional Medicine Style, which differs in content and practice, and is what would have been practiced by traditional Doctors outside Bangkok in the past.
"Nuat boran" is the Thai name for a type of body work native to Thailand (nuat = massage, boran = traditional). Thai massage is also known as northern-style Thai massage, "nuad paan bulan", "nuat thai", Buntautuk style, Old Medicine Hospital Style, traditional Thai massage, Traditional Thai Medical Massage, Ancient Massage, Thai Yoga, Thai Yoga Massage, Yoga Massage, Thai Classical Massage, and Thai Bodywork.
The claimed benefits of Thai massage include relief from asthma, migraines, sprains, bruises, anxiety, relief of physical and emotional tension, improved sleep, improved flexibility, greater awareness of body and mind, and a release of blocked energy.