When I first arrived in Bangkok in 1993, I had severe back pain after the long flight.

I asked my landlord on Khaosan Road to recommend a good massage therapist. He sent me to a small salon nearby.

A blind massage therapist treated me with strength, focus and pinpoint precision.

After that, I was able to move almost pain-free again.

Ever since that first experience, I’ve returned again and again to salons in Bangkok with blind massage therapists.

In my experience, are blind masseurs better? Often, yes. Many of them work with an exceptionally sensitive touch, great calm, intense concentration and a level of precision that still impresses me. To me, their special sense of touch is no myth.

Studies support this impression, too.

In people born blind, parts of the visual cortex apparently take on additional roles in touch and hearing. This can make it easier to detect subtle differences in pressure, texture and position. The brain puts this unused capacity to work in other ways, allowing it to process touch with greater precision.

And you can often feel exactly that during a massage.

I often felt that they found areas of tension with remarkable precision. Almost as if those hands could read the body more closely.

For many blind people in Thailand, massage work is also an important path to an independent life—with their own income, recognition and work that allows them to be seen as professionals.

There are several studios in Bangkok that deliberately employ blind or severely visually impaired therapists.

There are also smaller shops that visitors often easily overlook.

I’ve never experienced blind massage in Bangkok as mere wellness; rather, it’s highly focused bodywork, often firm, often precise, and sometimes truly impressive.

That’s exactly why you shouldn’t see salons like these as a curiosity.

But rather as places where highly focused people do demanding work.

If you’d like to try this type of massage, look for a reputable salon with clear information about the therapists’ training and good reviews. Be sure to tell them how much pressure you’re comfortable with, as many of these massages are more intense than gentle.

As I mentioned in the book, my personal favorite is “Perception.”

There are other good places, too. Just give them a try.

It’s worth it.

And if you’re lucky, your back will thank you the very next day.