How to open a massage shop in Thailand: from licence to first client

Licences for a massage shop or spa

A massage shop or spa in Thailand operates under the Health Establishment Act (พ.ร.บ.สถานประกอบการเพื่อสุขภาพ), and the licence is issued by the Department of Health Service Support, known as สบส. Apply before you open: the licence is tied to the premises, the operator and the type of service, so plan it alongside the fit-out rather than after it. Waiting until the works are finished can mean redoing part of them. The Act covers three types of business relevant here: spa (กิจการสปา), massage for health (กิจการนวดเพื่อสุขภาพ) and massage for beauty (กิจการนวดเพื่อเสริมสวย). In Bangkok you apply to the Health Establishment Division of สบส.; in other provinces, to the provincial public health office. The application (form สพส.1) comes with the owner's ID card, the house registration of the premises or the owner's consent to use them, a medical certificate, the list of therapists, and a floor plan with a location map. Officers then inspect the premises, or assess them from photos and videos. Under the fee schedule published by สบส. in 2024, a licence for massage for health or for beauty costs 500 THB up to 100 m², 1,500 THB up to 200 m², 3,000 THB up to 400 m² and 5,000 THB above, plus an annual fee of 500 THB. Fees and documents can change, so confirm them when you file. The official portal is thaispa.go.th (checked on 13 October 2026).

The law also sets requirements for the people who work in the shop: the operator responsible for the establishment and each therapist. The operator needs an operator licence (form สพส.8): at least 18 years old, a health-service certificate recognised by สบส., a pass in the knowledge assessment run by สบส., and no disqualifying record, such as a final conviction for sexual, drug, human-trafficking or prostitution offences. It takes up to 45 days and costs 1,000 THB. Each therapist registers as a service provider (form สพส.12): at least 18 years old, with a certificate from a course recognised by สบส., for example the 150-hour Thai massage for health course. Registration is free and takes up to 51 days. Before a therapist enrols, check that the school's course is on the list recognised by สบส.: certificates from other courses are refused. Keep a file with every therapist's certificates and registration from the first day. Checking them before you hire is far easier than fixing a gap later.

Requirements change, and local offices sometimes ask for extra documents. Before you sign a lease, check the current list with สบส. or your provincial public health office, because some conditions depend on the building itself. The usual business steps, such as registering the business, also apply. Register the business itself: a commercial registration (ทะเบียนพาณิชย์) at your district office for a shop in your own name, or a company with the Department of Business Development (DBD). Register as an employer with the Social Security Office when you hire staff, and register for VAT with the Revenue Department within 30 days once revenue passes 1.8 million THB a year.

How much it costs to open a massage shop

The cost of opening a massage shop depends mostly on rent and fit-out, so there is no honest single figure: a three-bed foot massage shop in a soi and a day spa in a hotel area are different projects. Build your budget line by line instead. Published figures are scarce. In a survey of Thai traditional medicine businesses in Pathum Thani, most owners had invested between 500,000 and 1,000,000 THB (Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi). In a model business plan for a Thai massage shop in Ang Thong, fit-out took the largest share of the starting budget, 45 %. Treat these as orders of magnitude and price your own project line by line.

Rent: count the deposit and any advance rent the landlord asks for, not only the monthly amount. Fit-out: plumbing for showers, ventilation, lighting, soundproofing between rooms, and anything the licence inspection requires. Beds and furniture: massage beds or mattresses, foot massage chairs, a reception desk, lockers. Linen and laundry: towels, sheets, uniforms, and washing, in-house or with a laundry service. Products: oils, balms, herbal compresses and hygiene supplies. Staff: therapists' pay and commissions, a receptionist if you have one, and training.

Software: this is the one line you can know exactly in advance. With SeeU, Base costs 990 THB a month and Premium 1,990 THB a month, excluding 7 % VAT, after a 30-day free trial. The monthly software cost page shows what each plan includes.

Keep a reserve for the first months. A new shop rarely fills every bed in its first week, while fixed costs start on opening day.

Choosing a location: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket or Samui

Choose your location by deciding first who your clients will be: locals who come back every week, or tourists who come once. In Bangkok, a shop near offices, condos or a BTS or MRT station can build a base of regular clients who book after work and at weekends, and these clients are the ones who buy prepaid packages.

Tourist areas such as Pattaya, Phuket and Samui bring walk-in clients, but revenue follows the tourist season. Keep cash for the low season and talk to local shop owners before you commit.

The menu language follows the client: Thai and English at minimum, and in tourist areas the languages your main visitors read. Your SeeU booking page works in Thai, English and French, and you can translate each service name and description per language. Note that the SeeU marketplace currently focuses on venues in Bangkok.

Before signing, visit the street at different times of day, watch the foot traffic, count the massage shops nearby and look at their prices and reviews on Google Maps.

Setting prices and therapist commissions

Set prices from your costs and the market around you, then decide how therapists are paid before you open, because ค่ามือ is a cost that grows with every treatment you sell. Start from three numbers: what nearby shops charge for the same treatment and duration, your fixed costs per month, and how many treatments you can realistically sell per bed. Price by duration (60, 90, 120 minutes) and keep the menu short at launch.

Two methods are common for therapist commissions. A fixed amount per treatment: the therapist earns the same sum for a 60-minute Thai massage whatever the selling price, which is simple to explain and to check. A percentage of the price: the therapist earns more on premium treatments and less during promotions, so agree in advance whether the percentage applies to the full price or the discounted price. Some shops combine a base salary with commissions. Whatever you choose, put it in writing and show it to every therapist on day one.

An example with made-up numbers, to show the method only, not market prices: a 90-minute treatment sold at 1,000 THB. With a fixed commission of 300 THB, the therapist always earns 300 THB; the shop keeps 700 THB at full price and 500 THB with a 20 % launch discount, when the client pays 800 THB. With a 30 % commission on the price paid, the therapist earns 300 THB at full price and 240 THB on the discounted treatment; the shop keeps 700 THB and 560 THB.

Counting commissions by hand at the end of the month is where mistakes happen. In SeeU, commissions are counted on every sale, as a percentage or a fixed amount per service and per therapist, with one export for payroll at month end. See how automatic therapist commissions work.

Getting your first clients

Your first clients come from people searching for a massage nearby, so set up your online channels before opening day.

Google Business Profile: add exact opening hours, photos of the rooms, the menu with prices and a booking link, then ask your first clients for a review. LINE OA: Thai clients are used to messaging a shop on LINE. Use it to answer questions and send your booking link so clients pick a slot themselves, instead of arranging every booking by chat.

Booking app: listing your shop on a booking app puts it in front of people who are already looking for a massage. On SeeU, your shop gets its own page on the marketplace, online 24/7, so bookings come in while you are closed, and you can ask for a deposit before the booking to cut no-shows. See how to list your shop on a booking app.

Launch packages: a package of 5 or 10 sessions sold at opening brings cash in before the sessions happen and gives clients a reason to come back. If you would rather not run ads yourself, SeeU creates and runs ads on Google, Instagram and TikTok and adjusts them every week, and you see the bookings they bring in.

Tools a massage shop needs from day one

From day one, a massage shop needs five things: online booking, deposits against no-shows, a checkout, commission tracking and packages.

Booking: one calendar per therapist, shifts and days off included, with every booking from the marketplace, Instagram or the front desk in one place, and automatic reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before the appointment. Deposits: clients pay 10 to 100 % of the booking by card or PromptPay, with a refund deadline you control. Checkout: a POS on your tablet that takes cash, card or transfer and prepares the VAT receipt. Commissions: counted on every sale, as a percentage or a fixed amount. Packages: sell a 10-session package, a credit wallet or a monthly plan, used automatically at checkout.

Which plan fits a massage shop? Base, at 990 THB a month, includes the calendar and online booking page, client CRM and direct chat, loyalty and promo codes, team management and commissions, free email reminders, and 30 free SMS a month, then 1.5 THB per SMS. Premium, at 1,990 THB a month, adds the POS with receipts and VAT invoices, no-show deposits, marketing automation, memberships with wallets, bundles and monthly plans, retail with stock, and 50 free SMS a month. A massage shop that sells packages and takes deposits gets all five tools with Premium. Prices exclude 7 % VAT, and both plans start with a 30-day free trial that you can cancel anytime.

Start the trial while the fit-out is under way, so services, prices and team are set up before the first client walks in. See the massage and spa software page, or book a free 30-minute demo, online or at your shop.

Frequently asked questions