Travel in Thailand | The Naga Center-School of Traditional Thai Massage and Medicine, and Community Thai Massage Clinic-Portland, OR

This page is a collection of tips for those traveling to Thailand for study or adventure (or both!). Check back here often for new thoughts, ideas and pieces of advice. The first half of the page is for general travel to Thailand. Scroll down for information tailored for those traveling with the intention of studying Thai massage. And please know that should you ever have questions about traveling to Thailand you can feel free to give us a shout.

This page is an ongoing work in progress. We will frequently add things to it as our every trip to Thailand, and all the questions you send us inspire us to put new information up here.

General Guidance

Scroll down further for guidance for studying Thai massage in Thailand.

Please note that this is our advice, and only that. You must make all decisions based on your own research and common sense. The Naga Center takes no responsibility for anything that befalls you on your adventure in Thailand, but we do hope you will have a wonder-filled time. For links and phone numbers to things like travel agents and guesthouses please see our links page

Preparation

Don’t over-pack! Whatever you have just put in that suitcase, take most of it out. Thailand has just about everything you need! Leave lots of room for all the things you will buy, for even if you are not the shopping kind, you will buy stuff in Thailand; it’s impossible not to. Bring Doctor Bronners Peppermint soap. You will love us when you are super hot and showering in its cooling minty soapiness. Also, bring baby wipes. We like the kind that you can get in health food stores that are all natural, with no perfume. So nice for refreshing your face and hands when you have been on a plane for 12 hours, or a dusty train, or an endless bus ride.

Dressing appropriately for classes and for excursions to the temples (wats) is very important. Shorts and skirts should never reveal the knees. Shirts must have sleeves. Short sleeves are okay, but tank tops will be considered offensive. Shirts to be worn in temples and in classes should not reveal cleavage on women. Darker colors such as navy blue and black are not allowed in temples, nor are they allowed in some classrooms. Closed toed shoes are considered more polite in general – but in most places shoes are removed before entering so there is some wiggle room on this one. Bring shoes that come off easily. These dressing tips are for those who wish to present themselves in a manner that generates respect among Thais. Many travelers prefer to dress in a manner that they feel represents their individuality, or will be appealing to other travelers. We recommend considering who your host is.

Visa

You do not need a visa to enter Thailand for 30 days or less. If you are planning on staying longer, you must contact a Thai consulate to acquire a visa, or you must plan on leaving the country and re-entering. Many people do this by visiting neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

Cell Phone

If you plan to bring your cell phone, make sure it is a tri-band phone and get it unlocked before leaving. Don’t pay for international service, just get it unlocked so that when you get to Thailand you can get a local sim card (easily gotten at any cell phone kiosk in any mall). Or you can just get a used cell phone in Thailand at the mall for between $15 and $25.

Electricity

Thailand works on 220 volts. Your electric toothbrush, cell phone charger, computer power cord; all should work just fine with no need for an adaptor. You may wish for one though, if you have a long layover in another country.

Vaccinations

There are no required vaccinations for traveling into Thailand unless you are coming from a country that has yellow fever. If you are worried about malaria it is our advice to get your preventative medication for it IN Thailand. The doctors there know far more about malaria than the doctors here do, plus they know where malaria is located in Thailand; which is not very many places. Also, medical care in Thailand is excellent and cheap. We have found that the CDC, when called, will advise travelers to get many vaccinations, repeatedly referring to Thailand as a “third world southeast asian country” and grouping it with all surrounding countries. We would not call Thailand a third world country. They have excellent medical care and it is not difficult to stay healthy while traveling there. Do beware of mosquitos during dengue fever season (May to September approximately) and use repellent during dusk and dawn times.

Money

It is impossible to tell someone how much money they will need for a trip to Thailand as we cannot know what sort of traveler you are, but here are some general guidelines:

Guesthouses can be found for as little as $7 per night, but we prefer the more comfortable mid range ones that cost around $10 to $16 a night. These often have two beds, so friends can easily share the cost. Bangkok and popular islands cost a bit more. In Chiang Mai you can certainly find lower cost accommodations. If you are more of a hotel person you will find very nice hotels at far lower prices than what you would pay at home.
ATMs are fairly abundant and you can just use your debit card from home. There is no need to get travelers checks when traveling to Thailand, and American dollars are pretty much useless.
We like to get a little bit of Thai baht before heading out to Thailand just to arrive with some local currency in pocket, but even this is not really a necessary precaution as there are ATM machines at the airport.
Food can cost as little as $8 a day and goes up from there. Alcohol tends to be expensive, so if you like to imbibe this will raise your budget needs.
Most things in Thailand are very cheap including clothes, medical needs, transportation, gift items, food and lodging. Electronics, books and alcohol come to mind as being expensive.

Getting There

Airlines

It has been our consistent experience that any Asian airline will provide far superior service to any domestic airline. To date we have flown many times on China Airlines, Air China, Korean Air and Asiana Air and they have all been incredible, even in the cheapest back of the plane seats. Our current favorite is Asiana Air, but really they all rock.

Korean Layover

Recently Nephyr had an unexpected 34 hour layover in the Korean airport. She discovered the following:

There is a secret sauna in the basement (B1); one for women, one for men.
The fourth floor has these huge wavy chairs designed for sleeping on.
There are free internet lounges everywhere, but the best one is near gate 14 – it has laptops and comfy chairs.
The only vegetarian food in the whole airport other than fries is a Korean dish called bipimbop. Make sure they don’t put beef in it if you are veg., and make sure they don’t put a nearly raw egg in it if you are vegan. and beware, that side dish of kim chi has fish in it and that little bowl of soup has beef stock.
You can make fun little cultural art thingies in the cultural center – for free!
Korea has the best airport ever!

Japan Layover

Mmmm, they have yummy sushi in the airport!

Arrival

When you arrive in Bangkok, after you have gone through immigration and gotten your luggage, you will go downstairs and outside. If you are not being picked up you will want to catch a taxi to your hotel or guesthouse. Be sure to do this at the official Taxi stand. You will see people sitting at a desk/table outside on the sidewalk near where all the taxis are. Go up to these people and tell them where you want to go and they will connect you with a cab. Also, make sure that your cab driver has the meter on. If they try to convince you that it is better to agree to a flat price, they will be cheating you. It is nearly always better to go by the meter price.

Speaking of Taxis - in Bangkok, Taxis are a very inexpensive way to get around. It’s not like here in the states where taxis are costly; so don’t be afraid to use them. Just always make sure the meter is on.

Transportation

Trains - If you are traveling on the cheap long distances can be covered by train. 2nd class sleeper cars are a great way to cover ground without paying for hotel accommodations that night. Try to get a bottom bunk; they are far more comfortable than the upper bunk and tend to cost only a few dollars more.
Buses - Air conditioned buses are another way to cover long distances cheaply. They are often faster than the trains, but do not have a way to lie down at night. We prefer the trains, but then we tend to have a romantic leaning.
Plane - You can usually fly between Bangkok and Chiang Mai for around $50 one way on local airlines. The trip is short and comfortable, and relatively cheap if you compare what it would cost to cover a similar distance in the states.
Motorcycle taxis - these are sometimes a cheap quick way to get around, but be careful; they are also frequently a way to get hurt. Most of the time helmets are not provided.
Renting scooters - If you don’t have experience with a scooter, we don’t advise it. Yes, it’s super fun, we agree. But the reality is that a ridiculous number of tourists get in scooter accidents in Thailand. Really, we’ve seen some gnarly stuff, so be careful okay?

Studying Thai Massage In Thailand

Please note that this is our advice, and only that. You must make all decisions based on your own research and common sense. The Naga Center takes no responsibility for anything that befalls you on your adventure in Thailand, but we do hope you will have a wonder-filled time.

Of course, our favorite way for you to study Thai massage in Thailand, is with us! The Naga Center offers student trips to Thailand once or twice a year that provide in-depth Thai massage instruction, guidance to temples, mountains, markets and more, and cultural instruction. These trips are incredibly fun and don’t resemble your average guided tour one whit. This all said, some folks like to venture out there on their own – it is for you that we provide this section. Please know that if you are going off to Thailand to study Thai massage and you have questions, we like to help; just send us an e-mail.

Where to Study

If you have only a short time to spend in Thailand, we highly recommend studying Thai massage domestically first. The reason for this is that you will get more out of your time in Thailand if you go with some foundational knowledge. Also, taking classes domestically, you will talk to people who have been to Thailand, you will learn more about teachers there, and you will be able to better plan your trip.

Schools

There are sooooo many schools of Thai massage in Thailand these days. With new ones popping up frequently, and old ones going through different teachers, anything we say here is open to change. A school we liked may have become less wonderful, or a new school may be around that offers better training. For this reason we encourage students to do their own research, and we welcome hearing of your experiences. In general, most of the schools are about the same; offering a pretty foundational training. Even the ones that claim more advanced training with extra long programs ultimately provide what we could call a foundational training. For more advanced experience study it becomes necessary to leave the institutions and find a personal teacher. This all said, some schools that tend to provide students with positive experiences are:

Shivagokormapaj, aka Old Medicine Hospital - this is one of the first schools of Thai massage in Chiang Mai that taught to westerners. Many of the newer schools in the Chiang Mai area are run by prior students of Old Medicine Hospital and therefore have very similar curriculum. What makes OMH stand out is that they are a non-profit, they still teach classes in Thai to Thai students, and they have an active clinic.
Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai - Okay, we have no inside information about this school and for all we know they aren’t any better than anyone else. Thing is, we like their book for its unusually accurate information about the theory and history of Thai massage and so think it might be worth a try. If you go there, give us a shout, tell us about your experience!
Loi Kroh - also located in Chiang Mai, we almost didn’t put this school on here because of their representation of oil massage as being “traditional”, but the thing is, students love this place. We consistently hear people singing the praises of the teachers there, and since the teachers are likely not in charge of the marketing, well… They are a small school in the heart of Chiang Mai.
Mr. Jan’s Herbal Garden – This is a guesthouse in the small town of Pai, in northern Thailand. It is run by a Burmese family, with Mr. Jan being the head of the household. Here you can find excellent Burmese massage treatments and training. They don’t have a website as far as we know, and things are pretty casual around there. When Nephyr trained there many years ago, she just showed up and spent about a week with Mr. Jan’s sister showing her how to do Burmese massage. At the time neither of them spoke the other’s language so it was all taught through demonstration and lots of laughter. We list it here because Burmese massage is very similar to Thai massage, and the training is a unique experience that not many people partake of.
Other Schools – there are many more. If there is a school that you are curious about that we have not listed here, feel free to give us a shout for our input. If we know anything about them, we’ll share it with you. If you have recently attended a school in Thailand that we have not listed we would love to chat with you about it. You may have noticed that almost all the schools listed are in Chiang Mai. This is because the vast majority of Thai massage schools are located there.

Individual Teachers

At this point there are not many true traditional Thai medicine practitioners who are teaching westerners. Ajahn Pichest Boomthame is probably the most well known of the ones that do exist and is devotedly loved by his students. There is also Mr. Poo, who only takes on 4 students at a time and who requires intense dedication and hard work from his students, or Homprang Caleekanha who runs a small school called Baan Hom that is becoming very popular lately.