The ‘Land of Smiles’ is a moniker bestowed upon the country of Thailand. There are a lot of things to be called and this is probably one of the best. The people in Thailand have been very hospitable in my experience and have earned that name. When you visit Thailand, you might notice people with a specific style of tattoo. The tattoos that the Thai people get look a bit different than the ones we are used to seeing. In addition, the Thai tattoos have special meaning, and therefore many people from other countries enjoy coming to Thailand to have traditional tattoos.

Now don’t get me wrong, tattoo artists in Thailand are well aware of tattoo machines and many of them use them, however, the ones that are special to Thailand can be done a bit differently. Stick and poke tattoos are very popular in Thailand and it seems to be the way the many tattoos are inked even today.

In this post, we will talk about the different traditional Thai tattoos and the meaning behind them. We will talk about the process the Thai people use when giving and receiving these traditional tattoos and talk about some of the different variations of them. By the time you have finished this post, we hope you’ll be ready to take a trip to Thailand and get your very own Thai tattoo.

History of Tattoos in Thailand

Tattooing has been an important part of the Thailand culture for many years. It is the only country in the world where they have an annual celebration revolving around religion and tattooing. Once a year, monks from all over Thailand come the Wat Bang Phra temple outside of Bangkok to ink thousands of tattoo enthusiasts. These Thai tattoos have a magical and religious meaning when you get one. They involve powers of luck, protection and blessing from above when you have a monk give you a tattoo.

It is a special thing to get a tattoo in Thailand from a monk and have him bless it. Whether you are there to get your own Thai tattoo or to have an old one “re-charged” and blessed by a monk once again, the experience is one that you will cherish for your life.