The Thai Massage School at Thai Bodywork

Thai Yoga Massage Training and Massage Continuing Education

Learn the art of Traditional Thai Massage, also called Thai yoga therapy, Nuat Thai or Nuad Boran, in Thai Massage training intensives from Certified Instructor Chuck Duff, in NCBTMB and IPTA approved certification trainings at the Thai Massage School at Thai Bodywork in Evanston, IL.

Thai Bodywork offers a 170-hour Certified Thai Bodywork Practitioner program, as well as numerous topic-specific Thai massage workshops in one of the most extensive Thai yoga-focused programs available in the USA, open to all but approved for massage continuing education credit.

Traditional Thai Massage, evolving from the ancient healing traditions of Ayurveda, yoga and Thai Buddhism, employs hands, feet, arms and legs to guide the recipient through a series of yoga postures with fluid movements, gentle pressure and stretching.

Our program, structured as a series of intensives, presents the traditional Thai massage and Thai herbal compress sequences in a hands-on curriculum consisting of over 350 hours. Our constantly-expanding advanced curriculum includes Clinical Thai Bodywork, herbal compress certification and HandsFree™ Thai massage. Our 20-hour Level 1: Fundamentals of Thai Massage training is taught monthly and has no prerequisites -- anybody can enter our program with no prior background. You will receive a Thai Bodywork certificate (and NCBTMB CEU certificate of Achievement if desired) at each level, and the pace of your study can be adjusted to fit your needs. Levels 2 and 3 are taught 2-3 times per year. Additional trainings in Clinical Thai Bodywork and other topics are conducted every 1-2 months. Please see our schedule page for upcoming trainings.

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The Thai Bodywork Spa and Store

Thai Massage sessions are available by appointment with our professional staff, please call 847-440-7525 or visit the Thai Bodywork Spa website for details. Thai massage mats, gift certificates, DVDs, Thai herbal compress balls and related products are available at the Thai Bodywork Store.

Why Study Thai Massage?

Thai Yoga Massage: A Holistic Healing Modality

Thai massage grew out of the values and principles of yoga and Thai Buddhism. Thai yoga therapy approaches the human being as a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional system. A thai therapist is trained to work with the individual in a holistic manner, while also considering the health and well-being of the therapist.

Save Your Hands and Your Career

Thai massage is designed to be beneficial for both the giver and the receiver. As you learn the traditional sequences of Thai massage, our program teaches you to work with the whole body, incorporating principles of martial arts, yoga and excellent body mechanics. In a recent ABMP survey, over 70% of massage therapist respondents reported significant work-related pain symptoms in the last 2 years. By employing core energy and body weight, studying Thai yoga therapy at TBW can save your hands and your career. Our HandsFree Thai course, unique to our school, is a powerful, therapeutic form of Thai bodywork that completely avoids stress on the therapist's upper body.

Strong Demand for Thai Massage

Only available in the west since the 1980s, Thai bodywork is now in strong demand at spas and from individuals. The ISPA in their Consumer Trends white paper singled out Thai massage as one of a few "key trends" for the spa industry in 2005, citing core interest in more active, indigenous and ancient therapies, particularly asian. Increasingly, consumers are seeking Thai bodywork because it is an extension of yoga, is more active, does not require removal of clothing, is consistent with consumer interest in spiritual development and self help, and is more effective at addressing patterns of inflexibility, chronic pain and stagnation.

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