Original Watpo Massage - Tha Tien

Before I say anything. For foreigners who just came for the massage and not the temple and thus not wanting to pay the 200 baht entrance fee... this is for you. Specially. there is a place right outside of the temple where you can get a wat pho massage. It's literally right outside, in ta tian, with no lines. And you'd get the same massage there. With no fee. Most of you could've literally saved that 200 BAHT fee you keep complaining about if you just explored even a little bit. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 Ok my review. I love temples and this was no different, tho I came with the specific intention to get a massage... And play with the cats! :D the Siamese are the most friendly and less skittish of the cats and the blacks cats but I couldn't find any that day. I came in a bit later in the day as my classes ended at 16:00 they were only able to squeeze me in for 30min and gooodd lawddd if you told me that was 30min I wouldn't believe you. It was sooooo good!!! I took notes in my head about how to make a good 30min routine it was that good. My back felt so much better! (We focus on my back as that was my main complaint) Tho I will remind people that a massage takes time and you can't really expect a massage therapist to be able to get rid of all your stiffness especially if you were as stiff as me (I may be small but I am STIFF!) Most people complain about wait time but like, bro, you can explore the temple in that time! All you really need to do is to come back 30min before your turn confirm you still want it and wait then! I had a 2hr wait but I was totally fine with it because unlike some people in the reviews I enjoy the temple and all of its art and history. Tldr: if you like temples, massage, and cats, go into the temple and pay that 200baht that is used to restore and maintain the temple. If you don't care about anything aside from a ✨wat pho massage✨ walk around ta tian, there's one right outside where you don't have to pay the damn fee. Enjoy these cute kitties!

I would give zero stars if I could for my experience. The temple itself is gorgeous but DO NOT go there for a massage. I am trained as a Traditional Thai Massage Therapist. I was so looking forward to going there to get a massage as my teacher trained there and he always had such wonderful things to say. Maybe things have drastically changed since the early 2000’s when he trained there. What I experienced was absolutely not Metta or ‘the physical application of loving kindness’ as I was taught Thai massage. The place itself feels like a massage factory, getting people in and out quickly and the it’s expensive for Thai standards. The therapist seemed annoyed and overworked. She was rude and when I asked her to go a little deeper, she went so deep I screamed in pain and asked her to go lighter which she then did not. It felt like she was being spiteful with her pressure as I gave feedback then it was so hard afterwards. I honestly should have stopped the massage and just left. She cranked my neck and I’m lucky I didn’t get injured.. probably because I know self techniques to release and restore and I used tiger balm on myself. In conclusion absolutely DO NOT go to Wat Po Temple and get a massage. My experience was very disheartening and absolutely altered my view of Wat Po Temple training and the therapists they produce. I got a 90 min massage for 375 bhat that was incredible by a random place in Chinatown, where as Wat Po was 540 bhat for an hour and it was awful.

🚨don't go there if you are a tourist just looking for a good thai massage: combined entrance fee for the temple + massage prices = you can definitely get better thai massage experiences in bangkok, or you get 2 times the same quality of massages somewhere nearby for the same price🚨 note that thai citizen's don't seem to have to pay entrance fee. the quality of wat pho's original massages has been consistently good. out of the ~ 500 'healing massages with asian features including plenty of thai massages' across thailand and elsewhere, i would personally rank the best massages i got at wat pho top 10% but not any better. for 800 bath (sept 2025) including entrance fee, and tip you can definitely get better premium massages of massage therapists who have talent, are well trained with thai massage techniques & additional techniques e.g. japanese acupressure, and with magic healing hands. in case you like to visit the temple and combine your visit with a good thai massage, watpo's massage school is an option. a few years ago it was possible to visit the massage school on the temple grounds without going through the new airport-check-in like mass tourism area at wat pho's.