Thai Massage Session Etiquette & Preparations

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Before giving a Thai Massage session the practitioner or therapist will always first consider the points mentioned in our article about Thai Massage Precautions & Contraindications.

Apart from the above, a Thai Massage practitioner should think about the state and environment of the session location and about their own health and hygiene and those of the receiver.

Below then we list some common guidelines to take into account for the massage location, the practitioner, and for the receiver of the massage.

Preparations for the massage location

• clean and quiet atmosphere;
• good ventilation and temperature;
• preferably spacious;
• clean and comfortable mattress, towels, and pillows;
• appropriate background music is possible, but certainly not necessary (something to ask the receiver).

The practitioner should

• explain the goal of a Thai Massage session if necessary;
• not have a fever, have an infectious disease, or be drunk, or otherwise intoxicated;
• not eat, chew or phone during a session;
• take off jewelry and ornaments;
• wear comfortable, proper and clean clothes;
• take good care of personal hygiene;
• wash hands and feet before the session;
• take care not to touch intimate areas of the receiver;
• avoid heavy breathing during a session;
• not judge the receiver (things like “you are stiff,” “old,” “you don’t take care of your body,” and so on).

The receiver should

• get some time to relax, rest, and feel comfortable with the surroundings and the practitioner;
• not have a fever, have an infectious disease, or be drunk, or otherwise intoxicated;
• ideally not have been eating less than an hour before the session;
• take off jewelry and ornaments and mention if they wear contact lenses;
• wear comfortable, proper, and clean clothes;
• wash hands and feet before the session.

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