BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine moved to overhaul and more tightly regulate the country’s Thai massage sector to restore trust and address workforce shortages.
Multi-billion-baht sector faces quality concerns
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) valued the annual massage and wellness economy at around 200 billion baht, while pointing to gaps in rules and oversight.
According to Somsak Krichai, deputy director-general of the DTAM, the market also suffered from highly uneven service quality, which damaged the reputation of the sector.
Workforce drain after Covid hits tourist hubs
After the pandemic, DTAM estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 employees left the massage and spa business, while around 20,000 professionals were missing in the therapeutic segment.
The shortfall was felt most sharply in major tourist destinations, where demand and expectations of professionalism were highest.
Hybrid training model to standardise skills
To accelerate and harmonise training, the DTAM introduced a hybrid programme in which theoretical content was studied online.
Practical training then followed in public hospitals nationwide, so that competencies could be assessed in a standardised way and graduates could be placed directly with local businesses.
Three service tiers and clearer expectations
The agency divided providers into three levels: health promoters with at least 150 hours of training, specialists, and licensed professionals with a minimum of four years of education.
With this structure, the DTAM aimed to make expectations more transparent for clients and to create a framework that rewarded continuing education and specialisation.
Higher hourly fees tied to skills
For specialists who covered seven symptom groups, hourly rates were set to rise from about 250 baht to around 450 baht.
The adjustment was agreed with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) and followed the principle of pay by skill and quality, in order to make further training more attractive and strengthen public confidence.
Digital IDs and database to deter bad actors
In parallel, the DTAM developed digital identification cards for Thai massage practitioners and a central database through which identities and qualifications could be verified.
The system was intended to link with agencies that managed health-related services, making inspections and reimbursements more traceable.
Phuket to showcase wellness at global summit
In November, Thailand planned to host the Global Wellness Summit 2026 in Phuket, aiming to attract industry leaders from more than 70 countries.
The event was expected to highlight traditional medicine, massage, herbal products and health tourism, in a bid to raise the international profile of the country’s wellness brand.
Wellness routes nationwide to build soft power
Separately, the Department of Health Service Support pushed ahead with wellness and medical tourism routes across all 77 provinces.
The idea was to connect certified clinics, spas, herbal shops, wellness restaurants and nature-based therapies, and to use herbs and massage as health-related soft power.