Experiential Thai Traditional Medicine Tour, November 15-26, 2023

When you register with your $600 deposit, you will be contacted quickly by Beth to have a chat and discuss the trip! You will be given a waiver to sign, an invoice with multiple options for payment in full, resources for travel insurance, and an entire series of emails and resources for preparing to travel in Thailand.

Itinerary:

Wednesday, 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.

Thursday, 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.

Friday, 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.

Saturday, 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 hotel in the heart of Ayutthaya. Then visit Buz and Ploy’s property in the countryside for dinner and an introduction to Thai herbal medicine. 

Sunday, 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.

Monday, 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.

Tuesday, 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.

Wednesday, 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.

Thursday, 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!

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

Saturday, 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.

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

Registration Details:

• First come first served in order of deposit received
• Registration fee if paid in full on or before September 30, 2023: $3750
• Registration fee if paid in full on or after October 1, 2023: $3990
• Non-refundable deposit of $600 to secure your space, final payments due on or before October 15, 2023
• If you fail to make the final payment, your deposit will be forfeited, and your spot will be offered to another guest on our waiting list.
• For cancellations prior to October15, 2023, fees are refunded less the $600 deposit.
• Cancellations made after October 15, 2023 will result in the loss of all monies received, with no exceptions. We recommend you purchase travel insurance to protect your investment in the retreat.
• You must have all current vaccinations and boosters for COVID-19 (or negative COVID-19 test upon departure), and any other vaccinations required by Thailand for your entrance to the country.
• There is no refund for leaving the retreat early, or arriving late. There are no refunds for any portion of the program you choose to opt out of. There are no refunds for activities we can’t enjoy due to circumstances out of our control (weather, unforeseen closures, etc.)
• We reserve the right to postpone or cancel the program up to six weeks prior to its start in the unlikely event that we don’t have enough registrants, or an act of God, and will refund all monies (less a $250 administrative fee) in such case.
• Feel free to contact us with any questions: beth@studiosapaan.com

What’s not included:

• Your airfare and any other travel expenditures to and from Thailand
• Travel insurance (Allianz is recommended)
• Any meals not listed as included (lunches and most dinners)
• Any alcoholic beverages
• Any hotel incidentals or supplementary services (such as laundry)
• Tips
• Optional excursions, entrance fees, taxi or transportation fare outside of van transport
• Any items not specifically mentioned as included

Terms and conditions – the official wording

Please download the Retreat Waiver form HERE. We will ask you to complete the contract once we’ve invited you to the trip.

NOTE: Paying your deposit indicates that you have accepted the terms above, and the terms included in the Waiver.