Experiential Thai Traditional Medicine Tour: November 2023!

Visit Bangkok, the heartland (Ayutthaya), and the beach (Hua Hin)!
We’d love for you to join our tour!
November 15-26, 2023

Jump on this 12 day trip to experience Thailand and learn about Thai Traditional Medicine. Learn essential techniques for postpartum care and women's health using Thai Traditional Medicine, in an intimate workshop setting in the Thai countryside. Experience the best local foods and herbal drinks, historic temples, modern integrative hospitals, traditional spas, and relax at the beach. This tour will fill your cup while enriching your mind. ***All individuals have their own rooms the entire trip. If you'd like to book together and share a room with a family member or friend, arrangements can be made for a second ticket at an $1800 discount. Please contact Beth for details!***

Betel leaf with tiny minced foods on top of it, with sauce over that

Join Beth and her Thai clinical colleagues Buz and Ploy in Ayutthaya for a 4-day workshop in Thai external herbal massage techniques for postpartum care and women's health. Educational components of the trip are fully translated and easy to absorb. The group consists of maximum 12 guests, since this is built around a small, hands-on workshop. Transportation by van is provided for the trip.

Each day will have one primary learning or experience-based activity, with optional afternoon or evening excursions, and plenty of time to yourself. The trip includes an online pre-recorded webinar for Thai herbal compress facial and neck massage for rejuvenation and pain relief, with practice herbal compresses, plus a two hour powerpoint presentation on the context and history of Thai Traditional Medicine. This is a true edu-vacation experience! 

REGISTRATION PAGE

Ayutthaya temple

On this tour, you will have the opportunity to:

  • See, feel, and understand the cultural context of Thai and Chinese medicine in Thailand
  • Visit premier integrative + TCM hospitals in Bangkok, leading the path in communication between Chinese and Thai traditional medicine
  • Enjoy a four day workshop, learning directly from two Thai Traditional Medicine providers who specialize in postpartum and women's health. This is like a home-stay experience, except with herbal experts who will create a farm-to-clinic, hands-on experience with external herbal massage techniques and theory
  • Soak in three days of pure poolside and beach time, with practice sessions to integrate lessons learned during the workshop
  • Gain an insider’s view into Thai culture and medical traditions
  • Eat healthy, local, seasonally appropriate, delicious food and drinks!
  • Enjoy Thai herbal massages by expert providers
  • Stay in Bangkok’s historic Chinatown for gastronomic and herbal delights
  • Enjoy the brilliant sights of Bangkok at night from the rooftop bar of your hotel
  • Enjoy time to yourself to reflect on your experiences and rest throughout the trip
Thai massage mats separated by curtains, on a golden wooden floor

Who is it for?

People in healing professions – LAc, LMT, ND – who would like to experience and expand their view of Thai Traditional Medicine while learning immediately useful tools for clinical practice. This specialized tour will target aspects of external herbal medicine and manual therapies that have broad applications for many patient populations, with an emphasis on postpartum care and women’s health. The twelve people who enjoy this trip will also have free online access to the upcoming workshop-based TTM and TCM women’s health retreat in 2024.

 

What will it be like? 

Imagine hopping on a plane, finding your way to Bangkok, and then taking a shuttle directly to your hotel where Beth greets you and introduces you to the city. The vitality and color of Bangkok embraces you as you ensconce yourself in an elegant, quiet hotel on the riverfront. Knowing that you can relax completely in your cool room and recover from your flight, you take some time to adjust to the city. Your journey has begun with grace and ease.

Over the next 12 days you and a dozen other people (including Beth) will enjoy a smooth succession of educational and enriching experiences centered around Thai Traditional Medicine. You will share a chartered passenger van as you take educational and fun day trips, lounge in beachfront hangouts and stroll through night markets. You will have time to explore. You will choose from the locals’ favorite places to eat, drink, and enjoy live music, tailored to your preferences.

Wat Pho grounds - statue doing a Thai Yoga / Reusi Dat Ton pose on top of a boulder

This trip is designed as a combination of 3 things: 1) educational experience; 2) cultural deep dive; and 3) rejuvenating retreat. With an efficient yet relaxed pace, you will have time to learn with four days of lecture, hands-on treatments and demonstrations, then relax at the beach to integrate and practice the lessons learned. By the end of the trip, you will be equipped to offer an additional modality of care for your postpartum and women's health clients. You will also receive a bonus training in facial rejuvenation using steamed herbal compress massage!

What is included?

  • Thai translator for the 4 day workshop and Ayutthaya portion of the trip
  • Private transportation by van
  • Massage and tour at the Center for Applied Thai Traditional Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok
  • 3 nights in a riverfront boutique hotel, overlooking the Grand Palace
  • 4 day postpartum and women's health workshop in Ayutthaya, learning at the teaching property of our teachers Buz and Ploy. Includes lunches and dinners. Learn Thai steamed herbal compress massage techniques immediately applicable to your patient base.
  • 3 nights in a 4-star resort near the beach in Hua Hin
  • 1 night in luxury 4-star boutique hotel in Bangkok's Chinatown
  • Breakfasts at hotels included
  • All lodging in individual rooms
  • Online course in Thai Steamed Herbal Compress Massage for the Face and Neck, including lecture on history of Thai Traditional Medicine

Why should you go with me (Beth)?

Beth is an acupuncturist (licensed 2012) and Thai massage provider (certified 2012), and she has been integrating Thai and Chinese medicine for the past decade. She is board certified in Chinese herbal medicine (Dipl.OM, NCCAOM), and she has been a professional trainer of Thai steamed herbal compress facial massage and facial gua sha since 2017.

Beth standing with two Thai TCM doctors at the TTM Research Institute

Beth has been visiting Bangkok and Thailand since 2006, and she has an extensive family and friend network there. Anywhere we go together, Beth will be able to give you a wonderful sense of security due to her deep network of family and friends who are on call to answer questions and troubleshoot if anything arises. She has also spent months visiting educational institutions in Bangkok and experiencing both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Thai Traditional Medicine in Thailand. 

Finally, Beth has partnered with two Thai Traditional Medicine providers in Ayutthaya, Worakorn (Buz) and Ploychompoo (Ploy), who have been working with her since 2017 to develop external herbal products that integrate beautifully into existing acupuncture and massage practices. They will be hosting and teaching the workshop in Ayutthaya. Spending time with Buz and Ploy is the central component of this tour, and you will continue to receive updates and knowledge from them as our teaching relationship grows!

See more about Buz and Ploy and their expertise on our About page!

Why should you go now?

This is the perfect time for a winter getaway, to receive sunshine and warm rejuvenation. The trip will give you many opportunities for fresh treatment package ideas, new products, and tons of beautiful images and experiences to share with your patients! During February in Thailand, the weather is a fantastic 79-94 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool season is transitioning into a warmer season with very little rain. This is a busy tourist season, but the peak of travel season is behind us. This is one of my favorite times of year to visit.

What will you learn?

  • History of Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM)
  • How to perform basic Thai steamed herbal compress massage (Luk Prakob), specifically for postpartum and women's health conditions
  • The properties of commonly used Thai external herbs, external herbal formulas for pain, and external herbal formulas for women’s health (including steams, soaks, compresses, balms, and liniments).
  • How TTM is practiced in an integrative hospital medical setting
  • How acupuncture, gua sha, cupping, Thai massage, and Thai steamed herbal massage can be integrated into treatment plans along with internal herbal medicine.
  • Learn how and why to add external herbal modalities into your practice
  • Learn how Thai and Chinese herbal medicine overlaps and enhances each practice
Thai herbs used in herbal compresses: hibiscus, makhrut lime, pandan, ginger, turmeric

Come on a healing tour of Thai Traditional Medicine with us!

This trip is for you if:

  • You have always wanted to visit Thailand but don’t want to jump in alone
  • You’re ready for a deep re-set after the holiday season, or to escape the winter doldrums!
  • You love herbal medicine and aromatherapy
  • You have a sense of curiosity about other cultures
  • Your favorite part of the day involves eating or massages
  • You like to travel in small, intimate groups and make new friends!
  • You’re excited to learn another clinical treatment option, from the source
  • You need a fun way to write off some business expenses for 2022
  • You’re ready for a delightful, sensory, nourishing Thailand experience!

Your investment:

$3759 if paid in full on or before September 30, 2023

$3990 if paid in full on or after October 1, 2023

**If you bring a friend or family member to participate in the full workshop and share a room, they will receive a discount of $1800.

***If you bring a travel companion who will be doing their own thing during the tour, but traveling in parallel, we can arrange for accommodations and van transportation at a negotiated rate.

Registration Details: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER WITH YOUR $600 DEPOSIT

Itinerary:

Wed Nov 15: Arrive in Bangkok, take a pre-arranged taxi to Baan Wanglang Riverside hotel on the Chaophraya River and relax! Beth will be there to greet you. Enjoy the local market right outside the doorstep, walk to a temple or restaurant, and enjoy the rooftop bar with gorgeous view of the Chaophraya River and the Grand Palace. Settle in, because we will stay here the next two nights as well.

Thurs Nov 16: Breakfast at hotel, then take a ferry directly across the river to Wat Pho + Wat pho Chetawon school of TTM. Enjoy the temple, receive massages from the Thai massage school's clinic, and get lunch. Then take the ferry back to the hotel and rest.

Fri Nov 17: Have a leisurely morning, enjoying breakfast at the hotel cafe. Visit Siriraj Hospital's Sappaya Sthana treatment center and receive 1.5 hour massages with steamed herbal compress treatment. Learn about the local partnership between Bangkok's Hua Chiew TCM Hospital and the Center of Applied Thai Traditional Medicine at Siriraj Hospital. Then rest and enjoy the neighborhood.

Sat Nov 18: Enjoy breakfast, then check out of the hotel. Load up the vans and drive to Ayutthaya (1.5 hours) to meet our teachers, Buz and Ploy! Check into our two hotels, Q Zone Boutique House and Baan Bussara, in the heart of Ayutthaya. Then visit Buz and Ploy’s property in the countryside for dinner and an introduction to Thai herbal medicine. 

Sun Nov 19: Have breakfast at the hotel, then go to Buz and Ploy's teaching space and enjoy the workshop! This will include a lecture on 4 Element Theory in Thai Traditional Medicine; overview of primary herbs used externally for postpartum recovery; and a demonstration and teaching of herbal compress massage for postpartum care and women’s health. Practice abdominal and breast massage techniques using herbal compresses and herbs. We will have lunch and dinner at the workshop space.

Mon Nov 20: Continue training with Buz and Ploy. Lectures on specific pathologies with treatment techniques. Practice combining herbal compress massage with topical herbal pastes or herbal steams. Take an herb walk to see how some herbs are harvested on their property. Lunch and dinner will be provided at the workshop space.

Tues Nov 21: Enjoy a restful morning, then take a walk through the ancient temple grounds in Ayutthaya. Go to Buz and Ploy's teaching space to practice and have a question and answer session. Go out for dinner together in Ayutthaya.

Wed Nov 22: Check out of our hotels, and take the comfortable vans to Hua Hin! (3.5 hours total, with lunch in the middle). Check in to iSanook Resort & Suites Hua Hin. Enjoy the pool and plentiful community spaces to socialize and relax.

Thurs Nov 23 (Thanksgiving!): Enjoy complementary breakfast at the resort. Optional day trips: visit the Artist Village by van for professional local art and a fun cafe; walk to the beach or to the temple nearby (Wat Khao Takiep) for a beautiful hilltop view of the ocean; visit the local mall for necessities and souvenirs. Optional Thanksgiving meal together. Otherwise, relax!

Fri Nov 24: Discussion and practice of the techniques we learned from Buz and Ploy. Relaxation and more time by the pool or beach.

Sat Nov 25: Check out of the resort by 10, then drive to Bangkok and check into our 4-star boutique hotel in Chinatown: Shanghai Mansion Bangkok. Go out into the bustling streets of Chinatown to explore, visit an art gallery or trendy bar nearby like TEP Bar, or enjoy a cool evening at the jazz bar or spa within the hotel. Arrange for travel to the airport. Relish the last experience of Bangkok before your trip home.

Sun, Nov 26: Check out, fly back home! Beth will help facilitate travel back to the airport. 

 Registration Details: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER WITH YOUR $600 DEPOSIT