Amazing Yam Khang Thai Massage
This video is a rare glimpse into a unique massage style that even visitors to Thailand will hardly ever get to see.
Various types of massage in Thailand
In Thailand, there are several massage styles. The best-known one is ‘traditional Thai Massage’. Even of this, there are quite a few sub-styles.
Then there is Thai Foot Massage. There are several styles of this as well. One foot massage style is part of traditional Thai Massage. Another style is more similar to reflexology. This is a stand-alone modality and is not part of traditional Thai Massage.
Then there is oil massage which is quite similar to the Western Swedish Massage style.
Rare and unusual massage styles in Thailand
On the more exotic side is Tok Sen where the practitioner uses a wooden block and mallet to rhythmically tap along certain lines on the client’s body. This style is primarily found in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province.
And then there is Yam Khang which is the subject of this video. In this style, the therapist oils and heats his foot over a fire and a hot metal plate. Then he uses only his foot to massage the client while supporting himself with a bamboo stick.
This style is practically unknown outside of Thailand, and even within Thailand it is very rare. You see it mostly in some mountain areas of Chiang Mai province.
From watching it, it’s pretty obvious why this style would never become part of mainstream massage. It is difficult to do and even more so if the client is a woman.
In Thailand, most women are quite shy and would not expose their backs in this way. The Thai female client in this video is a friend of mine who has spent most of her adult life in Europe, so she was not inhibited to try this massage.
Yam Khang practice
The therapist dips his foot into an herbal mixture, then into the oil, and then heats it over a hot metal plate. During this process, some oil is dripping from his foot into the fire which is causing the flames to shoot up.
This session was done in public during a festival with many people watching. In Thailand massage is not done in strict privacy as in the Western world since the receivers are always dressed, with the exception of oil (Swedish) massage which is normally done behind a curtain.
Learning traditional Thai Massage
I filmed the session for informational purposes only, not with the intention to present this as a learnable massage skill.
For the vast majority of therapists, both in Thailand and in the Western world, the ‘traditional’ Thai Massage style is more practical and suitable. For more information on Thai Healing Massage Academy’s online training program, check out the resource below:
The author, Shama Kern, has been practicing and teaching Thai Massage for over two decades. He is the founder of Thai Healing Massage Academy and the creator of 20 Thai Massage online training courses.