These days a part of a trip to Thailand and Bangkok can often involve a Thai traditional tattoos as well and a popular place for this to be done is now Khao Sarn road. There’s simply lots and lots of Tattoo parlors that are nestled in between bars and internet cafes and nightclubs. If you haven’t been, it’s really a sight to behold. The dreadlocked modern travelers also known as crusties are waiting to receive their Thai tattoo but do they know what it all actually means and what do the Thai people think about it all? We sent our reporter Max to Bangkok to take a look.
One thing I quickly found out in my investigative trip to Bangkok was that the local people can be sometimes offended not by the foreigner (farang in Thai) having a magical Thai tattoo but in the placement of the tattoo. One thing the majority of these tourists don’t know is the head is the most sacred part of the human body and the feet is the least. So some of the tourists I think there was a case in Phuket recently where a guy had a Thai tattoo on his foot and it caused outrage among some locals. A case of misunderstanding really. But there are a lot of people I’ve met here that don’t really like farang getting Buddhist tattoos at all unless they follow the religion. And it is a religion here in Thailand.
So I think a minister of Thailand has now made it a bit stricter since the Phuket tattoo incident and is attempting to make sure that tattoo parlors that are happy to sell tattoos to foreigners follow certain guidelines as to positioning of the sacred Sak yan tattoos. With this is a regular check for compliance about these things as well it is probably something that will be quite well upheld in Thailand in the future.
A cool Muay Thai boxer I met on my travels told me that it was also quite common for boxers like him to have Thai tattoos (Sak Yan). This would protect them while they were in the ring fighting from the injuries that could end their careers as well as wish them good luck too.