The five key learning areas include pressure points, massage techniques, foot massage, techniques for women and herbal therapy
BEYOND TEMPLE WALLS
Today, the Wat Po massage pavilion and massage school are operated by the Sae Tangs – a Chinese family whose ances- tors originally donated the land. Moving beyond the temple confines
necessitated the parent company to change its name from Chetuphon (a term used only in association with the temple itself) to Chetawan. The Sae Tang family is also responsi-
ble for creating affiliate Wat Po massage learning clinics called the Chetawan Health Schools. There are four of these: in Salaya, Tatien and Chaengwattana on the outskirts of Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai, north Thailand. The additional schools allow
Courses also include theoretical lessons This is an important point because as
much as the Ministry of Health recognises the export value of Tai massage, it is aware of the dilution factor. For example, interna- tional spas might modify techniques with a soſter, less intensive approach or introduce more pampering, flowing movements from other modalities such as Swedish massage. Equally, the growing popularity for Tai
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massage in a spa setting has seen a rise in guest injuries, such as bruising or disjointed muscles, as young practitioners push their own boundaries of service delivery. Consequently, the Ministry of Health’s
allegiance to Wat Po TTM comes with an understanding that the school is at the fore- front of protecting the efficacy of traditional Tai massage. Certainly there are excellent
Tai massage courses available outside of Tailand, especially those that incorporate anatomy and physiology, but they don’t have the cachet of those from Wat Po. And while Wat Po TTM’s certificates are
not recognised outside of Tailand by any formal organisation, they have a strong her- itage and reputation which continues to draw in people from around the world. l
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Thais to study closer to the communities they serve and at Salaya, they can also take extended residential courses. Although other Wat Po massage train-
ing centres are springing up in locations such as Marrakech and in the Philippines, they tend to be organised by ex-Wat Po students using the Wat Po name, rather than having earned any official sanction. In 1979, the Sae Tangs also set up Medicos, a company that manufactures and distributes spa products, many of which are available globally. These include Newsky, a line of consumer mas- sage oils, creams, herbal compresses and scrubs; Benaquin skin and haircare products; and Lamenette, a range of massage accessories such as beds, pil- lows and traditional sauna tents.
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