Nuad Bo'Rarn, a traditional, ancestral technique dating back over 2500 years, was codified by an Indian Buddhist physician, Shivago Komarpaj, a disciple of Buddha. Traditional Thai massage is therefore strongly imbued with Buddhist philosophy. It draws its influences from Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine and certain yoga techniques.
Traditional massage takes place lying on a firm mattress on the floor, over comfortable clothing.
It comprises some 130 movements, with stretching and mobilization a very important aspect of Thai massage.It could be described as a "manipulative" technique, closer to physiotherapy and chiropractic than to Swedish massage.