Rooted in religious sanction, the “Sak Yant” form of traditional tattoo has been a pivotal part of Thai culture for generations. The tattoo is believed to act as a form of spiritual shield for ...

Wat Bang Phra, a temple in central Thailand, is renowned as a center for sak yant, a style of tattoo art believed by some to convey protective powers. An unordained tattoo artist applies ink with a ...

As travellers increasingly seek transformative wellness experiences, Indigenous cultural practices have entered the mainstream. From the commercialization of ayahuasca retreats to Mexican sweat lodges ...

Before our trip to Thailand, many friends and readers inquired as to what we were most excited about. The epic food? Breathtaking beaches? Intricate temples? Friendly people and affordable prices? Of ...

NAKHON PATHOM (Reuters) - Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their ...

Every year, usually in early March, more than 10,000 people flood into Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple about 30 miles west of Bangkok famed for its magic tattoos and amulets. The participants enter ...

The introduction to Sacred Skin , Tom Vater and Aroon Thaewchatturat’s new tribute to Thailand’s sak yant , or sacred tattoos, begins with an agonized exclamation: “Uaaahh!” So it should. While modern ...

Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand — Atjima Khunnok has so many tattoos that she has to count them on her fingers: deities, sacred peaks, parallel rows of ancient Khmer script unfurling across her arms ...

Tattoos have become commonplace in Cambodia, especially among the younger generations. The sight of tattooed young men and women may still shock some conservative members of society, but it is ...