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Thai massage or Thai yoga massage is a traditional therapy combining acupressure, Indian Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga postures. The idea of Sen-lines alias energy-lines was first used as "Thai yoga massage". These are similar to nadis as per the philosophy of yoga by Gorakhnath.
In the Thai language it is usually called nuat phaen thai ; lit. 'Thai-style massage'] or nuat phaen boran ; lit. 'ancient-style massage'], though its formal name is nuat thai ; lit. 'Thai massage'] according to the Traditional Thai Medical Professions Act, BE 2556.
The Thai Ministry of Public Health's Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine regulates the Thai traditional massage venues and practitioners. As of 2016 the department says 913 traditional clinics have registered nationwide in Thailand. As of 2018, of the 8,000 to 10,000 spa and massage shops in Thailand; only 4,228 are certified by the Health Ministry's Department of Health Service Support.
UNESCO added traditional Thai massage to its Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in December 2019.