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Sak yant (sacred tattoo) in a less-visited place
พาไปสักยันต์กับอาจารย์ในพื้นที่
To Thais a sak yant carries protection, luck or charm. Visitors who want one from a master in the north have an interpreter beside them.
Today's price ฿4,000
What you get
- Sak yant (sacred tattoo) in a less-visited place฿4,000We find an ajarn (master) or monk near you in northern Thailand and ask for a sak yant (sacred tattoo) for you. We arrange the visit, with an interpreter beside you for up to 4 hours. The ajarn chooses the yant (design) and may say no. You pay the ajarn directly for the yant and offering. Transport is charged at the price we pay.
How it goes
- Hongdam finds an ajarn or a monk near where you are in the north, and asks for you.Hongdam · Before the visit
- Hongdam arranges the day of the visit.Hongdam · Before the visit
- An interpreter sits beside you for up to 4 hours. The ajarn chooses the yant and may say no.An interpreter, you and the ajarn · The visit, up to 4 hours
- You pay the ajarn for the yant and the offering directly. Transport is at cost.You · At the visit
- Hongdam finds an ajarn or a monk near where you are in the north, and asks for you.Hongdam · Before the visit
- Hongdam arranges the day of the visit.Hongdam · Before the visit
- An interpreter sits beside you for up to 4 hours. The ajarn chooses the yant and may say no.An interpreter, you and the ajarn · The visit, up to 4 hours
- You pay the ajarn for the yant and the offering directly. Transport is at cost.You · At the visit
Useful facts
- A sak yant is a sacred tattoo tapped into the skin by hand by a monk or a lay master, an ajarn, and then blessed. The Visit Thailand Today guide says a person does not need to be Thai or Buddhist. visitthailandtoday.com
- At Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom the monk chooses the design, usually the Gao Yord on the upper back for a first tattoo. People are called in groups of about 20. visitthailandtoday.com
- A monk may not touch a woman. At Wat Bang Phra women are tattooed with a glove and transparent ink. On temple trips booked through the Sak Yant Chiang Mai office, women are tattooed by an ajarn. visitthailandtoday.com
- Most masters ask a person to keep the five Buddhist precepts: no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying or intoxication. Many add their own rules. Breaking them is believed to weaken the blessing. visitthailandtoday.com
- Thai health rules reported in January 2020 require tattooists to hold a yearly medical certificate. It shows they do not carry hepatitis B or C or tuberculosis. news.cn
What others charge
| Wat Bang Phra, where monks tattoo: an offering set of flowers, incense and cigarettes | ฿100 to ฿150 visitthailandtoday.com |
|---|---|
| Sak Yant Chiang Mai office, in town, offering included | ฿2,000 to ฿3,500 an hour visitthailandtoday.com |
| The same office's temple trip, plus the monk's offering | ฿3,500 for the first person, ฿2,000 for each extra one visitthailandtoday.com |
| A Bangkok lay master's own list, small or medium and large design; elaborate work by a well-known master | ฿5,400 and ฿9,500; up to ฿20,000 visitthailandtoday.com |
| Hongdam · Sak yant (sacred tattoo) in a less-visited place | ฿4,000 |
What people ask
How much does a sak yant cost in Thailand?
The Visit Thailand Today guide lists an offering set of about ฿100 to ฿150 at Wat Bang Phra. It lists ฿2,000 to ฿3,500 an hour in Chiang Mai town, offering included. Lay masters charge thousands of baht, and elaborate pieces can reach ฿20,000. visitthailandtoday.com
Can a woman get a sak yant from a monk?
The guide says a monk may not touch a woman. At Wat Bang Phra women are tattooed with a glove and transparent ink. On Chiang Mai temple trips women are tattooed by an ajarn. visitthailandtoday.com
Who chooses the design?
At Wat Bang Phra the monk chooses the design, usually the Gao Yord on the upper back for a first tattoo. The guide says there is no say over the design there. visitthailandtoday.com
Do I need to be Buddhist or Thai?
No. The guide says foreigners are now much of the queue at Wat Bang Phra, and the masters expect the rules to be kept like anyone else's. Most masters ask for the five Buddhist precepts. visitthailandtoday.com
When is the Wai Khru festival at Wat Bang Phra?
Once a year, on a Saturday in March set by the lunar calendar. The guide gives 7 March for 2026. Thousands of devotees come to have their tattoos re-blessed. The temple announces each year's date in Thai. visitthailandtoday.com
Also from Hongdam
Pha yant (sacred cloth) drawn for you
฿5,000
A cloth with a yant (sacred protective design), drawn by an ajarn (master) with your name and birth date.
Name charm
US$59
A small charm drawn with your name, sent to you with a photo of its blessing.
Thai Buddhist amulets
from ฿500
Our opinion on an amulet from your photos, or an amulet found for you at a market in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai.
Auspicious (lucky) date
from ฿2,000
Two lucky dates for a wedding, a house move, a shop opening or a new car.
Interpreter
from ฿400
By phone or video, or with you in Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai at an immigration office, hospital or bank.
Car, driver or guide for a day
from ฿3,000
Nine hours with a car and driver, or eight hours with a licensed guide.
Elsewhere
Small print
Prices here move with demand: when most of a month's places are taken, the price goes up a step; when few are, it comes down a step.
Sources read 2026-11-04.