What to Expect When Receiving a Sak Yant Tattoo in Thailand

Receiving a Sak Yant tattoo is a highly spiritual experience. If you've done your research and are thoroughly interested, then I promise you won't regret it.

If you're a man, you can go to a temple and have a more traditional experience getting a tattoo from a monk.

If you're a woman, there are far less monks willing to tattoo you as it goes against their beliefs to touch women.

So if you're a chica like me and you want to get a sank Yant, what do you do?

Check out Sak Yant Chiang Mai. While it sounds more ideal and traditional to rock up to a temple and wait hours for your turn to be tattooed in the purest and most spiritual places by a monk, it's not all that likely to happen. There's an ethical dilemma between monks about tattooing women and not many will even consider it.

However, with Sak Yant Chiang Mai, they have an in-house monk who will provide the service. If you do this, dress modestly and considerately! Even if it's an in-house monk, he is still a monk! Be respectful. Try not to show shoulders or too much of your chest. Wear long pants and not too much color. This is a monk who is giving you a tattoo, not a tattoo artist on the street. Think and be considerate of his commitment to Buddhism. He doesn't have to give you a tattoo, so just be aware of the practices.

For those who want the experience in a temple and are willing to pay the price, Sak Yant Chiang Mai offers that as well! While there is a price for the tour, like if you need a tour guide to go with you to the temple and translate, the tattoo on the other hand is paid for based off donation.

Once you arrive, you can pick out which Sak Yant you want if you have not decided yet. If you have no idea, they will pick for you. 

This is not a trend. This is not a fashion statement. Only get a Sak Yant if you want it purely for the spiritual benefits. I received 5 lines and someone once told me "how Angelina Jolie of you..."

No matter how many people receive 5 lines, or any Sak Yant tattoo for that matter, it does not take away the sincerity and power of the blessings that are forever imprinted on your skin. You will never have a Sak Yant that someone else doesn't have--the point is not to be "unique." It is a blessing and if you go into it wanting a blessing from a monk rather than wanting it as a fashion statement, then your intentions are in the right place. Be in the present, be aware of what you're doing and give all the gratitude you have for being in the situation to receive one of these tattoos. You are lucky. I can't explain enough how much this was the ultimate spiritual experience for me. I was on cloud 9 for days after and every time I think about it, I feel a ball of happy energy curl in my chest. If this is what you want, you want regret it.

Once it's done, don't forget the rules you have to abide by for now on! Don't worry, they aren't extreme. They're really just rules to be a decent human being.

**Disclosure: yes, in these photos my shoulders are showing. I originally wore a high collar sweater, but I had to pull it down a bit so the monk could tattoo the part of my body where I wanted the Sak Yant placed. If I were to do it again, I would bring a sarong with me to cover up my back and shoulders.**