No one would imagined 43 years ago that the temple next to the Grand Place would become a atop tourist attraction in Bangkok. That was when the now-word-famous massage center and school was opened at Wat Pho.
On daily basis, a stream of both local and foreign tourists enters the two small buildings at the temple to experience at Thai massage treatment, an ancient art of healing that has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. The structures contain long rows of massage beds, none of which lie empty for over a 10-minute stretch
The popularity of Thai traditional massage has been increasing globally at a rocky start, the massage school affiliated with the temple has developed into a thriving enterprise
More than 40,000 students from more than 70 countries have graduated from the massage course taught at Wat Pho Thai Traditional School while the number of applicants seeking training at the institution has increased 15-20% annually over the last five year.
( From ‘A Tourist’s Paradise’, The Bangkok Post, business B1, Aug.29,2005 )