ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the commercialization and globalization of Thai massage, focusing on the sensory experience of people in urban settings in Thailand. After contextualizing Thai massage historically and the globalization of touch theoretically, I first explore the sensory experience of Thai massage for massage practitioners and Thai clients. I then examine the expectations foreign clients have of Thai massage, the ways in which they experience it, and how Thai massage has been adapted for foreign clients based on Western perceptions of touch. Throughout the chapter, I reveal how Thai massage has become commercialized and globalized.
