From Bangkok Holy Tattoo Experience at Wat Bang Phra

Experience that lasts a lifetime.

A true great experience. This was my first and second tattoo, so I was definitely nervous about getting exactly what I wanted. The Master who gave me my tattoos was amazing. The yants were beautifully done with the steady hands only a true master could create. The temple and the grouds were also beautiful and rich in history. My guide, Mr. Sakka, was outstanding. He was so kind and knowledgeable. He explained the history wonderfully. He was also incredibly thoughtful. He not only took pictures and videos of the experience for me (as I went alone), but he also followed up with me the next day to make sure that my experience was to my satisfaction. He also gave great tips for my visit in Thailand. Both Mr. Sakka and the Master made this the best experience that will last with me for a lifetime.

Unfortunately not very spiritual

I went to this temple to get a sacred tattoo done. I was helped by Asia from the Mr Thai agency. In the morning I went on an excursion to the Damnoen floating market and on the way back I asked if it was possible to be dropped off near the Temple and then return alone by taxi to Bangkok. They left me in a shopping center where a friend of Asia joined me and from there we took a taxi to the temple. The temple is very large. The taruaggi building is located at the back on the right near the bathrooms. Follow the arrow pointing to the bathroom and then ask. We arrived around 2/2.30pm. There was no one. On the ground floor there was a monk sleeping but they told me to go upstairs telling me "no no". You pass through a room under construction with wood and saws everywhere and you reach another room where there are people, not monks, sitting on chairs. They gave me a kind of book where there are only photos of people with one or more tattoos without any explanation or price. I said I didn't want just any tattoo because it was trendy but I wanted to get the right one in the right way because I truly believe in the power of this seal but the guy I was talking to didn't seem to care what I was saying and didn't seem to believe me. Then the guy who tattooed me arrived and confirmed that the first tattoo to get, for women, is the 5 lines on one shoulder while for men it is the pentagon in the center of the shoulders. At that point the first guy told me to sit down to start, but seeing how things were I stopped and asked the price and he told me 5000 baht. I showed them that on Get My Guide it said 3700 baht including transport to/from Bangkok and an English speaking guide. I said that I would give 3000 baht but they said no and they started bargaining saying that 3700 of get your guide is with the non-sterilized bamboo stick used for several people and that to have a sterile needle opened just for me I had to give 4000 baht and I said yes because it really seemed demeaning to me to start haggling over something sacred but equally I didn't want to be treated like a chicken to be fleeced! (I don't know if they really used the new needle...) Once I took out the 4000 baht they told me that I had to buy the offering basket from an old lady who was there in the room. I saw in the lady's eyes the embarrassment of not being able to tell me the price of the basket which on other sites I had read was 30 baht and which on get you guide is included. I was taking out 50 baht but the guy from the previous negotiation came running and told me "no! You have to give 100!!!” And again I saw the mortification in the lady's eyes and I understood that for them it is just a way to collect more money... Once I paid the 100 baht they gave me a basket with some plastic flowers and a pack of cigarettes inside. They told me to put the 4000 baht in it and give it to the tattoo artist who said a prayer as he took it. At that point I was taken to another room where the lady from before made me take off my shirt and made me wear a shirt open at the back. I returned to the first room, I sat with my back to the tattoo artist who washed and disinfected the skin and then applied the usual mask to transfer the draft of the design onto the skin. The mask is made up of many empty squares, don't worry!!! It's normal! He just needs it to go straight when he goes to tattoo the sacred verses on the skin directly freehand. While the boxes will then be washed away and will not be seen. Once the draft has been applied, the tattoo artist begins to tattoo. I thought he did it in silence to show respect for that sacred act, but instead he talked, laughed and joked with the other guys in the room. I had my eyes closed and was trying to meditate but around me I felt a lot of confusion like a party among friends. I have no idea how long it took but it was pretty quick, approximately 15/20 minutes I think. It hurts less than a Western tattoo. At some points it hurts a little more but it's bearable. Throughout this period it is possible to take photos and videos. Consider that I was the one who told the girl who accompanied me not to take photographs because it seemed disrespectful to me but instead they told her "yes, yes, take photos and videos" Once the tattoo was finished, the tattoo artist told me that we had to pray and recited some verses, blowing on the tattoo from time to time. That was the only time they asked not to take videos and photos. They sent me to put my shirt back on and took me downstairs to have the monk bless my tattoo. When we went down the stairs we found the monk lying on the floor, sleeping on the carpet with his feet tucked under the bench where they usually pray. As soon as he heard us coming he started to wriggle buoy style. Honestly, I was scared because I thought he was sick, but instead he was just trying to roll over to get up. I sat in front of him with my back to him and he blessed the tattoo. A gold foil was placed on the tattoo as is used in every Buddhist blessing. I saw that there was a basket full of banknotes and although strangely at that point no one asked me for more money, I left another 20 baht which is certainly not enough but, considering the previous ones, I think they were more than fine To recap Taxi one way 330 Basket 100 4000 tattoo Offering to the monk 20 Taxi to Rambuttri street 470. The taxi driver used the taximeter because Mr Thai spoke to us directly and we called him to help us with the negotiation so it is the correct fare and in any case it takes at least an hour of travel. And with google maps I saw that he did not extend the route to let me pay more. The only thing Mr Thai told me was that I would have to add 50 baht each way to the price indicated on the taximeter but I don't know why. And the taximeter already starts with an initial 35 baht, but this is also normal. I asked what to do to keep it clean but they just said "no soap for 5 days". It's been 2 days and I haven't had any pain whatsoever. Sorry if I was long-winded but I wrote down all the information I would have liked to find online before doing so, hoping to help you