Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has decided to replace the globally popular phrase “Thai Massage” with its transliterated equivalent—“Nuat Thai.”
The Ministry is encouraging Thai massage practitioners to advertise their rhythmic pressing service by using the phrase “Nuat Thai” instead of “Thai Massage,” which can be notoriously misrepresentative.
The Director-General of the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Dr. Somchai Nichpanit, told Matichon that the adjustment would convey a more positive image of Thai identity, as well as reduce confusion among massage recipients.
“Thai massage could lead someone into thinking of a massage parlor. But Nuat Thai will represent the actual traditional massage and decrease the trafficking issue”, said Dr. Somchai.
The department will not issue a formal rule to encourage the change but instead urge its massage practitioner trainees to display the new phrase more prominently.
In the past year, the department has trained over 23,000 Thai massage practitioners. This number does not include those trained by other public and private organizations, which are expected to produce in excess of 100,000 workers.
“The massage industry generates over THB1 billion per year for the Thai economy”, said the Director-General.
