Thai Massage Indoors or Outdoors | What’s Better?

When Thai Massage treatment sessions or training courses are advertised, you will often see beautiful pictures or videos with massage practitioners and receivers doing Thai Massage outside, preferably in exquisite natural surroundings.

The reality, however — notably in the West — is that most Thai Massage is given inside, in a room. In Thailand, most massage is likewise given in a room or in a common space inside a massage parlor, but you may also see that Thai Massage is given publicly in the streets — for instance, at street markets or at the beach.

There are advantages and disadvantages when you compare giving or having a Thai Massage inside a house or establishment versus massage outside in the open air or in Nature. I have done both, each option for a longer period, and I will give you my opinion about it.

Outdoor Thai Massage

During almost two years I have given Thai Massage outdoors in an open hut. Not because of a choice, but simply because I lived in the forest and both my dwelling and my “massage parlor” were open structures, with just a roof and no windows or doors.

Now, as I lived remotely and privately in the forest, the outdoor option was a suitable one because their was no disturbance from traffic or people. It means that you and your client can relax and focus on the session. In fact, to have a good outdoor treatment location the environment must be quiet, relaxed, private, and preferably in a natural setting.

Another beneficial thing is that there’s lots of fresh air available, which is pleasant for both the practitioner and receiver, notably when one becomes sweaty or when you need to breathe deeply.

A disadvantage of the outdoor option — depending on where you live and depending on what season it is — is that there may be insects bothering you, or it may be too cold, too hot, or too windy. What I’ve also experienced is that people — especially first-time clients — are so impressed with the beauty and uniqueness of the surroundings that they cannot focus on the session.

Indoor Thai Massage

Giving Thai Massage indoors has the great advantage that you have much more control over (disturbing) environmental issues such as traffic noise, loud sounds in general, air pollution, temperatures, and wind. Moreover, you can guarantee privacy aspects better.

As it is, you basically have more tools to create the atmosphere you like to offer if you have the proper equipment and indoor environment to facilitate noise isolation, the right temperature, and appropriate ventalitation.

Nevertheless, having enough space indoors can be a problem and things then can be become a bit claustrophobic. These factors are usually not an issue with outdoor massage treatments.

In any case, often there are no other options than to give Thai Massage inside, in a room. If you live in the city, let’s say in an urban environment, it would be difficult to do Thai Massage outside without prying eyes, without air pollution, and without a lot of noise.

Indoor or Outdoor Thai Massage? – The Verdict

Actually, the verdict here is that the pros and cons of giving Thai Massage indoors or outdoors depend very much on the options that are at hand.

Some environments can be very suitable for outdoor sessions, such as the forest, a remote beach, the mountains, or even a large private garden.

Nevertheless, it’s not that easy to find such an environment (and enough clients). And even so, it will still depend on the climate and weather situation, but also on disturbing factors like insects that may be bothering you, although a ventilator or a mosquito-netted area may do the job in the latter case.

Indoor environments is what we will usually have at our disposal, that is, you will not easily opt for a massage session outside in the midst of an urban area, and as a rule indoor situations can be better manageable as for the massage ambience and setting we want to have or want to create.

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