Updated October 2026 · 6 min read · By the Thai Gold Massage team
Today you’ll find Thai massage in quiet studios, hotel spas and clinics around the world, including Lisbon. But the history of Thai massage starts somewhere else entirely: in Buddhist temples, where healing and spiritual practice were closely connected. Here is where it came from, what is known and what is legend, and how it reached the treatment room.
Thai massage, called nuad Thai (or nuad boran, “ancient massage”), is a traditional healing practice from Thailand. Its roots are usually traced to Indian and Buddhist medical traditions that reached the region over many centuries, and to the legendary physician Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha. The practice was passed down orally and in temples, recorded on stone inscriptions at Wat Pho in Bangkok, and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2019.
You’ll often read that Thai massage is “2,500 years old”. That figure comes from tradition rather than written proof. It links the practice to the time of the Buddha, and to Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha (known in Thai as Shivago Komarpaj), the physician said to have treated the Buddha and his monks.
Historians can’t confirm the dates or the details of Jivaka’s life. What we can say more safely is that Thai massage grew out of a blend of influences over a long period: Indian medicine and Buddhism, local Thai healing knowledge, and later contact with Chinese and Southeast Asian traditions. Jivaka is honoured today as the “father doctor” of Thai medicine, and many practitioners still pay respect to him before they begin.
In old Thailand, medicine, massage and religion weren’t separate. Temples were centres of learning and care, and monks were often among the people who treated the sick. Massage was practised alongside herbal medicine, with the aim of caring for body and mind together.
Thai massage works along lines of the body known as sen, which are central to the traditional approach. Therapists apply pressure along them and use stretches to ease tension. This is a traditional framework rather than something proven by modern anatomy, which is why today’s spas present Thai massage as a relaxing, hands-on tradition, not a medical cure.
For centuries, much of this knowledge was passed on orally. Families, monks and local healers taught students by showing them. Because so much of it was spoken, it was easily lost. In 1767 the Burmese sacked the old capital, Ayutthaya, and much written medical knowledge was destroyed.
Later, Thai kings worked to gather and protect what survived. At Wat Pho in Bangkok, the royal temple, texts and teaching were collected, and in the 19th century King Rama III had medical and massage knowledge recorded on inscriptions at the temple. You can still see carved stone panels and diagrams there today, and Wat Pho is often called the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and still runs a well-known massage school.
In the 20th century, Thai massage moved out of the temple and family setting and into schools, clinics and then spas. Thailand has developed formal training and a public health framework for traditional medicine, and international students began travelling there to learn. In 2019, UNESCO added Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Modern Thai massage varies. Some therapists stay close to the traditional dry, clothed, stretching style. Others offer oil massage, deep tissue or hot stone treatments with a Thai approach to pressure and rhythm. Both are part of what you’ll find in Lisbon today.
Here is how the traditional style compares with a typical oil massage:
| Thai traditional | Thai oil massage | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | Usually loose clothing | Oil on skin, covered with towels |
| Feel | Pressure and assisted stretching | Slow, flowing relaxation |
| Best for | Stiffness, a more active session | Unwinding and softer pressure |
The history of Thai massage is a good reason to try the traditional style at least once. At Thai Gold Massage, near Rossio and Restauradores, a 60-minute Thai traditional massage is €60 and a 60-minute Thai oil massage is €50. See all treatments on our services page.
New to it? Read what happens at a first Thai massage in Lisbon. Comparing places? Our guides on how to choose the best spa in Lisbon and the best Thai massage spas in Portugal will help.
Thai massage comes from Thailand and grew out of Indian and Buddhist healing traditions, local Thai knowledge and temple practice. Its exact origins are partly historical and partly legend.
According to tradition, Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha was a physician in the time of the Buddha. Thai tradition honours him as the father of Thai medicine, although the historical details of his life can’t be confirmed.
That’s the traditional claim, linking it to the time of the Buddha. There is no written proof of an unbroken 2,500-year practice, so it’s best described as an ancient tradition that developed over many centuries.
Wat Pho in Bangkok is the royal temple where massage and medical knowledge was gathered and recorded on stone inscriptions in the 19th century. It’s often called the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and still teaches it.
Yes. UNESCO inscribed Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.
Book online, message us on WhatsApp or call +351 920 024 277. We’re at R. das Portas de Santo Antão 15 1º, Lisboa, open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, and walk-ins are welcome.
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