I’ve been a Licensed Massage Therapist for more than four years now. Three of these years I’ve spent studying Thai Massage through a company based in the United States named Living Sabai. The apex of the Living Sabai program is having the opportunity to hone your Thai Massage skills by studying abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand. All of this is made possible through Living Sabai’s sister school of sorts – International Training Massage School or ITM. As soon as I finished all my core classes with Living Sabai I had my sights set on traveling to Chiang Mai to study at ITM. My dreams became a reality in January 2023 when I finally set foot in Chiang Mai. 

The Living Sabai study abroad program is a two-week long group experience where you study Thai Massage during the weekends and explore the City of Chiang Mai through the weekdays. I personally chose to complete the Living Sabai program first and then extend my studies with ITM solo, after the Living Sabai trip ended for another two weeks. I can’t say enough about how well planned and thought out the Living Sabai trip was. Our group leader Marijean Rue did an excellent job looking after everyone and making sure we had everything we needed. There were about 12 people in my group and every single person was so kind, passionate about Thai Massage and so easy to travel with. 

I have a been a student many times over; first as a college student in 2005 and most recently as a massage therapy student in 2018. However studying abroad was a brand new experience for me. I was so excited to learn from actual Thai Massage Therapists’ in the land where Thai Massage originated – Thailand. The experience certainly did not disappoint. 

The first class I took at ITM was Power Elbow and Knee Thai Massage. Immediately upon stepping into the building I felt a deep sense of gratitude for being there. To put things into perspective ITM has been in business for more than 30 years, trained tens of thousands of students across the world and won numerous awards for being one of the leading Thai Massage schools in Thailand. Being a student here was a humbling and deeply gratifying feeling. 

The very first thing I noticed upon entering the classroom for the first time was the melting pot of students from all over the world. My classmates were from France, India, South America, North American, Australia, Canada – truly from all across the globe. The classes at ITM are taught in English but it was so cool to hear students speaking in their native tongues to fellow students in class.

I can’t forget about my teachers. Mon and Noo were the teachers for Power Elbow and Knee Thai Massage and they were incredible. Just so incredibly knowledgable, patient, understanding and hilarious. These two really made a great teaching team. I later found out they were cousins, which was awesome! I can honestly say learning from Mon and Noo inspired me. I visually saw the power of Thai Massage and felt the true essence of this practice from their teaching. 

Apart from Power Elbow and Knee class, there are a plethora of classes offered at ITM. Some are weekend classes – held from 9-4pm Saturday and Sunday, others are week-long classes – held from 9-4 Monday – Friday. ITM also offers a comprehensive 390-hour training program called CAPT or Comprehensive Advanced Practitioner and Teacher Training Program. This nearly three month-long program combines nearly every course offered at ITM and prepares graduates not only to offer Thai Massage but also to teach it. 

Time restraints kept me from completing the CAPT program this time around in 2023 – but who knows what the future holds down the line. During my time at ITM I’ve completed nearly a month of training including Power Elbow and Knee, Lanna 1 Stretching and Level 4 Upper and Lower Body. 

Overall, studying Thai Massage in Chiang Mai has been an incredible experience. Not just because of ITM. It truly is the entire experience of being in Chiang Mai – absorbing the culture as well as the massage techniques. I am beyond grateful.