Thai massage or “Thai yoga massage” is a traditional healing system combining acupressure, Indian Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga postures.[citation needed]
In the Thai language it is usually called nuat phaen thai (Thai: นวดแผนไทย; lit. ‘Thai-style massage’) or nuat phaen boran (Thai: นวดแผนโบราณ, IPA: [nûət pʰɛ̌ːn boːraːn]; lit. ‘ancient-style massage’), though its formal name is nuat thai (Thai: นวดไทย, lit. ‘Thai massage’) according to the Traditional Thai Medical Professions Act, BE 2556 (2013).[1]
The Thai Ministry of Public Health’s Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine regulates Thai traditional massage venues and practitioners. As of 2016 the department says 913 traditional clinics have registered nationwide in Thailand.[2] As of 2018, of the 8,000 to 10,000 spa and massage shops in Thailand, only 4,228 are certified by the Health Ministry’s Department of Health Service Support (HSS).[3]
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