About Sak Yant Chiang Mai
Who is Sak Yant Chiang Mai?
Sak Yant Chiang Mai is one of the world’s most respected destinations for a real, authentic Sak Yant experience. With thousands of five‑star reviews and direct access to genuine Sak Yant Masters, we are also the leading online source for accurate information about traditional Thai tattoos — shared straight from the Masters themselves.
Despite our popularity, we maintain one of the fairest and most transparent pricing systems in Thailand. Many visitors even find it more affordable to fly to Chiang Mai for their Sak Yant than to receive one elsewhere in the country. Because of the high demand, we recommend booking your appointment one to two weeks in advance.
Like Wat Bang Phra Temple in Bangkok, we operate as a co‑op of local Sak Yant Masters who have come together to offer visitors a truly traditional experience. Unlike Wat Bang Phra, however, we ensure every guest understands the meaning of their chosen design and receives a personalized blessing aligned with their intentions. We also guarantee that each tattoo is performed using new ink and new needles for every guest.
We are dedicated exclusively to Sak Yant and are the only place in Northern Thailand where both Monks and Ajarns work together to provide a consistent, ethical, and culturally respectful experience — without double pricing or tourist markups.
About Sak Yant Chiang Mai | Established in 2016
Sak Yant Chiang Mai was started early in 2016, from humble beginnings. Originally Nana Boonkoom was contacted by a well known travel blogger about helping her to get a Sak Yant Tattoo. Nana spent several days preparing for this, visiting different Monks and Temples and then took travel blogger Amy Truong to get her Sak Yant.
Soon after, Nana started to receive many other inquiries after Amy wrote about it in her travel blog “Getting a Sak Yant by a Monk in Chiang Mai“. Within 6 months, with a growing word of mouth referrals, Nana was conducting Sak Yant Tours on a full time basis, often having bookings several months in advance from serious guest.
Just how good is Sak Yant Chiang Mai?
Sak Yant Chiang Mai Reviews - 80% say the Best Experience they had in Thailand - Many in their life!
At the time Nana was just one of the few people who offer tours to Sak Yant Monks and Ajarns. What really made the difference for her (and the beginnings of Sak Yant Chiang Mai), was her relationship with the local Sak Yant Masters. In the first few months of starting, the Monks and Ajarns commented that she was different.
The Monks and Sak Yant Ajarns complained that many ‘guides’ would drop the customer off, then sit outside playing on their phones until the Sak Yant was finished. The guide (more often than not a Taxi, Tuk Tuk or Red Truck driver), then come and ask for commission. Nana on the other hand was dedicated to helping her guests, never tried to negotiate higher donation prices and did not ask for commissions from the difference.
Several Monks and Ajarns suggested that since Nana’s heart was in a place they respected, she should make a business related solely to the tradition Thai Tattoo. The concept of a co-operative was discussed, and many of the Monks and Ajarns said that if she was to rent a shop, they would gladly come into town 1 or 2 days a week and perform Sak Yant Tattoo’s from that location.
Mission
Create a Co-op of local Sak Yant Masters, both Monks and Ajarns and provide guides to explain, educate, translate and fairly share the Sak Yant donations to all members
Vision
Provide the same genuine Sak Yant Experience Thai’s have enjoyed for centuries to interested tourists and Non-Thais.
Values
- 100% Genuine Sak Yant Experience
- Ensure Monks get fairly compensated
- Share the beauty of Thai Traditions
Meet Sak Yant Chiang Mai's Staff, Guides, Arjans, Monks & Helpers
Nana
Nana is a Chiang Mai Local (Lanna decent) and the founder of Sak Yant Chiang Mai. Nana started as a Sak Yant guide taking people out to the Temples on the back of her motorcycle in 2016.
While other Sak Yant providers and guides have made an arrangement with a single Ajarn and splits profits between the two; Nana and Sak Yant Chiang Mai, share and support more than 5 different Temples and over 10 Sak Yant Masters.
From humble beginnings, Nana has with the support of the Sak Yant Masters in Chiang Mai, and lots of hard work created the most respected and well known Sak Yant community in Northern Thailand.
Ploy
Ploy is a Chiang Mai Local (Hill Tribe Karon decent) and is the Office Manager of Sak Yant Chiang Mai. Ploy grew up in the rural mountains of Northern Thailand has been a member of Sak Yant Chiang Mai staff for many years.
In her youth Ploy was educated by Christian Non Profit Organizations, which gives her comprehensive English speaking abilities and makes her our token Christian staff member in a country that is 95% Buddhist.
Ploy is a fun and jovial person, and her personality and knowledge is responsible for quite a few of our 5 Star ratings along with the comments “One of the best experiences of my life”. Ploy is saving her tips for higher education in Australia and we are proud to help her seek a better life through education.
Cody
Cody is a former Monk and comes to us directly from being a Sak Yant Monks assistant from Wat Suan Dok Temple in Chiang Mai.
Cody brings with him a background of knowledge in both the Monk and Sak Yant Traditions and a willingness to share these traditions with guest of Sak Yant Chiang Mai.
Cody was a monk along with other Sak Yant Ajarns in the co-op and while did not train in the Thai tattoo tradition of magical arts himself, he has a special interest and may himself train to be a Sak Yant Ajarn one day in the near future.
In the meantime we are happy Cody has joined the team and we could not ask for a better guide and assistant for our guests
Ging
Ging is a Chiang Mai Local (Lanna decent) who enjoys preserving local culture. Ging is a Buddhist with a keen interest in Buddhism and is very interested in Sak Yant tattoos.
Ging has a good personality. She is also friendly, cheerful, humble and loves helping others.
Under Ging’s tour guide, her detailed knowledge about Sak Yant tattoos with genuine smile makes her easily loved by customers and guests who meet her.
Ging is a filial daughter and has a goal to save money to build a house for her parents because their home floods every year.
Sak Yant Chiang Mai Monk and Ajarn Assistants
Fluk
Happy
Born
Meet the Sak Yant Mai's Ajarns and Masters in the Co-op
Sak Yant Master Ajarn Dang
Well known master of Masters, Ajarn Dang reputation extends throughout Thailand with many people coming from outside the area to receive his blessing. Master Dang is known as a Master’s Master, which means he is sought out by many Sak Yant Masters for additional training
Sak Yant Master Ajarn Sam
Ajarn Sam is originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand. He had participated in a monk program at Dhamma retreat, Mearim, Chiang Mai. After program finished, he went to Ayutthaya and became a monk at Worapho Temple. After that, he came back to Chiang Mai at Chedi Mae Krua Temple and started learning about Sak Yant and Ka-Tha from monks and ajarns. He has started doing Sak Yant since he was seventeen.
Sak Yant Master Ajarn Beer
Ajarn Beer, recently left the Monkhood to pursue his family tradition of becoming a Sak Yant Master. Other family members involved in Sak Yant are his cousin Monk Eak. Coming from the famous Wat Bang Phra tradition Ajarn Beer provides excellent quality and looking Thai tattoos.
Sak Yant Master Ajarn Tom
Ajarn Tom is a former Monk who recently left the Temple to take care of his ailing family. Ajarn Tom has many masters from different lineages and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. We are happy to help Ajarn Tom better able to take care of his elderly parents by having him work along side us at Sak Yant Chiang Mai
Sak Yant Master Ajarn Sak
Ajarn Sek inherited the tradition of Sak Yant from his father and grandfather who taught him traditional Burmese Magic which he learned through memorization. Later while a novice Monk his interest and abilities in Magic increased as he learnt how to read ancient scripts and delved into the Thai magical traditional including the application of Sak Yant Tattoos.
Sak Yant Master K Munglanna
Ajarn K, was until April 2017 our local in-house Monk. In April he became an Ajarn and still works closely with Sak Yant Chiang Mai as our in-house Sak Yant provider. We are honored to have Ajarn K continue to work with us after leaving the Monkhood and we are proud to be part of his new life chapter.
Monk Rachon Sak Yant Master
Rachan Monk is originally from Phayao, Thailand. He started learning about Sak Yant in 1988 from his grandfather and his father. After that, he has also learnt from many monks and some Ajarns to exchange about Sak Yant knowledge. Then, he has started to do Sak Yant for his students in 1995. Rachan monk will do Sak Yant on only males.
Monk Rachon has now retired and return to Phayao where he does Sak Yants in a remote Forrest Temple
Monk Eak Sak Yant Master
Monk Eak was recently featured in the Chang Phuak Magazine article on Sak Yants. We reached out to him after Monk K became an Ajarn and he agreed to come in on Mondays to perform the Sak Yant for us.
Monk Aum Sak Yant Master
Monk Aum has been preforming traditional Thai tattoos in the Lanna style for many years. Located in a small rural Temple, Monk Aum offers a unique style and experience, where you get to see the buildings in construction that are created from your donations for a Sak Yant
History of Sak Yant Chiang Mai - The First Shop
About Sak Yant Chiang Mai's 1st Shop
Nana had thought about opening a small street side information center. Initially the idea was to provide a venue where people could come in and make inquiries while she was out on tours. Her Sak Yant Tours were small and intimate and Nana wanted to give 100% attention to her guests.
This was becoming more and more difficult now that she had developed a solid reputation and was getting many emails and texts each day asking questions. She has since created the Sak Yant FAQ which answers almost every question a guest might have
Now the Monks and Ajarns wanted her to create a venue where they could all work together.
Who is Sak Yant Chiang Mai - The Current Shop
About Sak Yant Chiang Mai's Arak Road Shop
The success of the first year of Sak Yant Chiang Mai, was bitter/sweet. If was fantastic that Nana’s risk had paid off. It was amazing that during that year many of the small rural temples Monks got enough revenue to renovate and expand their buildings from our guests donations. At the same time the growing popularity of Sak Yants meant that if customers did not book weeks ahead, their was no available time to make walk in bookings.
After weeks of Nana working at night and weekends to clean up the venue and make a meditation garden, In December 2017 Sak Yant Chiang Mai moved into it’s new location. The new shop included two larger Samnaks for visiting Monks and Ajarns to manage the high tourist season with more available time slots. The shop was larger providing space for customers to relax, look at videos, Sak Yant design books, and purchase some Sak Yant T-Shirts or Buddhist Prayer Beads.
The new shop was constructed and designed with the assistance of the Monks and Ajarns who ensured that every detail complied with Sak Yant and Buddhist traditions. We are very proud of Sak Yant Chiang Mai.
ak Yant Chiang Mai began with the simplest of setups — one guide taking guests to temples on the back of a motorcycle. Today, the experience has evolved into a comfortable, welcoming environment with carpeted floors, air‑conditioning, and dedicated spaces for blessings and consultation. We now support five temples, work alongside eight to nine Sak Yant Masters, and are assisted by a team of eight support staff, all committed to preserving the integrity of this tradition.
Despite our growth, we have never allowed Sak Yant Chiang Mai to become a commercialized tourist attraction. We respectfully decline service to anyone seeking a Sak Yant without understanding its spiritual meaning, ensuring the practice remains rooted in intention and respect. As a 100% Thai‑owned co‑operative, our income is shared among the Monks, Ajarns, and staff who honor and uphold the Sak Yant lineage.
If you choose to receive your Sak Yant with us, we promise an experience that is meaningful, authentic, and guided by those who genuinely live this tradition.
