Body Art WeeklyStudio of the Week · Bangkok Ink · Sak Yant
Sak Yant, the sacred tattoo
Hand-tapped, blessed, and it comes with rules. Martin's world, in his own words
Bangkok Ink, Sukhumvit 33, Bangkok, Thailand
Sak Yant
A Sak Yant is not chosen from a flash sheet. It is a sacred design in Kata script, tapped in by hand by a master, then blessed and activated, and it comes with promises you keep for life. Bangkok Ink has built its house around it. Here is what it means, how it is done, the designs and the rules, as Martin and his masters tell it.
What it is
A tattoo that comes with a promise
Sak means to tap, Yant comes from yantra, a sacred design. Put together: a magical drawing, tapped into the skin by hand, by a master who knows the words that go with it. "All are done in Thai Kata Sanskrit which is a Siamese, Thai, Ruesi Sak Yant Master language."
The studio traces it back further than Buddhism: "They originated from Ruesi Masters before the time of Buddha." And it is clear about what Sak Yant is for, and what it is not: "Sak Yant is about white magic and not black magic and bad luck, so, a real master would never talk in that way."
Bangkok Ink's own line sums up why it does this at all: "Our aim is to help people improve their lives by receiving a Thai Sak Yant tattoo design with Thai Kata script." A tattoo with a job to do. We have never had a client ask that much of a rose.
“Sak Yant and Buddhism is all about helping people.”
The Ruesi
Hermits, healers and their masks
"In order to understand Sak Yant, one must understand the Ruesi and his role." The Ruesi were the hermit sages of the old forests: "originally an ancient soothsayer or medicine man", living apart, meditating, "healing with forest plants", and, it is said, talking with animals. They inscribed their knowledge as yantras, the sacred designs Sak Yant still uses.
Their faces live on in the Ruesi masks kept on the shrine. "Each mask embodies the spirit and wisdom of a specific Ruesi." In the blessing called Korb Kroo, the master places a mask on your head, to pass on protection and guidance. It is the moment most first-timers remember.
Ruesi Na Seua
The tiger-faced sage. Not a mask you forget.
The elephant mask
Kept on the shrine with the others, each one a teacher from the past.
Korb Kroo
The mask placed on your head: the teacher's blessing, passed on.
By hand
Bamboo then, steel now
"Unlike machine tattoos, which rely on speed and electricity, bamboo tattooing is entirely human-powered, guided by the artist's breath, intuition, and steady tapping motion." The old masters used a sharpened bamboo rod. Today it is a long steel rod with the needle at its tip, and at Bangkok Ink a new needle every time.
Watch a master work and the speed surprises everyone: a rhythm of quick taps, the line appearing as he goes. Clients write that it was over faster than they feared. For anyone who wants the design without the ceremony, the studio also does Yants by machine; but the hand-tapped version, with its blessing, is the one this page is about.
One thing we care about at Poli, and say plainly: hand work is only as clean as the hands and the needle. A new needle each time is the rule that matters, and it is the rule here.
The designs
Six Yants and what they promise
Every design has a meaning, and every real master, the studio says, has his own version of the classics, "with magic infused within their Yants". These are the ones people ask for most, with the meanings as the studio gives them:
Hah Taew, five lines
Five spells in five rows, each for a different part of your life. Popular with women and men, on the shoulder or the base of the neck.
Gao Yord, nine spires
"Normally the first Sak Yant design that is given to a follower of a Sak Yant master." Charm, authority, courage and success, in one design.
Twin Tigers
"Extreme power, dual strength, and dominance." Two tigers, because one king of the jungle was not enough. Popular with fighters.
Hanuman
The monkey warrior. Courage and fearlessness, "for warriors, performers, or anyone needing confidence and charisma."
Metta
Loving-kindness and charm: "good relationships, attraction, and social harmony." The gentle one.
Pead Tidt, eight directions
Protection from all eight directions of the compass. For people who like to be covered from every side.
Hah Taew
The five lines, line by line
The Hah Taew is the Yant most visitors come for, and the studio spells out what each row is for. Read them from left to right:
Line 1
Protection from unjust punishment and unfair situations, from unwanted spirits, and for your home.
Line 2
Turning back bad luck, bad horoscopes and misfortune.
Line 3
Strong protection against black magic and curses.
Line 4
Good luck, success and fortune in your plans and your daily life.
Line 5
Charisma and attraction, and it strengthens the four lines before it.
The rules
Five promises that come with the ink
This is the part a normal tattoo never asks of you. Traditionally, a Sak Yant wearer keeps rules close to the Buddhist Five Precepts, and the studio is clear about why: "The tattoo's power comes from keeping your moral conduct strong." Break them, and the blessing weakens.
Each master may add his own: respect your parents and elders, do not step over food or offerings, never let anyone touch the tattoo with a foot. And the honest modern version: "many Ajarns ask you to follow at least one rule sincerely". In our opinion, a tattoo that asks you to be a better person is not a bad deal.
Do not kill
Respect all living beings.
Do not steal
Take nothing that is not yours.
Do not lie
"Words hold power, use them with integrity."
Stay loyal
No sexual misconduct; some lineages are strict about adultery.
Keep a clear head
"Alcohol or drugs that cloud the mind weaken the blessing."
Wai Khru
Golden needles and the masters' day
Once a year, followers come back to honour their teachers at the Wai Khru. Martin's site describes one at Wat Sala Daeng temple: "a special Buddhist Sak Yant Thai Tattoo ceremony where respect is shown to teachers and Masters", with three blessings on the day.
There is the Ruesi mask blessing. And one that surprises foreigners: "the insertion of a lucky golden needle under the skin of the chest", for men only, an old Thai tradition for good luck and protection. Not on our menu, but a fine story to tell at the bar.
The lineage
From the Grand Master to Sukhumvit 33
Bangkok Ink's two resident masters were trained by Grand Master Ajarn Ohr, whose yearly Wai Khru brings his disciples back to honour him. For those who want to go to the source, the studio runs a VIP day at the Grand Master's own shrine: pick-up at your hotel and a translator for the day.
"Sak Yants are not about temples or monks, they are about Sak Yant masters and Ruesi masters." That is the studio's view, and it explains its choice of masters: trained disciples, working at a shrine, who "fully understand the Thai Kata language".
Ajarn Sak
Senior master, hand-poke bamboo style. Leads the tours abroad.
Ajarn Nak
Sak Yant master, hand-poke bamboo style, at the studio's shrine.
Grand Master Ajarn Ohr
Their teacher. His shrine is open to visitors through the studio's VIP day.
Martin's story
The farang in the village
Martin did not discover Sak Yant in a studio: he watched it at work in Thai villages, from a motorcycle convoy to a temple to a boxer "literally covered in Sak Yant tattoos". His stories have their own page in this feature.
And his own Yants? "The unalome I had done on my throat greets me daily whenever I look in the mirror, and the ones on my back, arms, chest, and belly stay with me even when I can't see them. Together, they keep me grounded and serve as constant reminders to be a good person."
“Together, they keep me grounded and serve as constant reminders to be a good person.”
Prices
What it costs
Martin's Sak Yant site publishes its standard starting prices for designs tapped by the masters. Prices as published on thaitattooyant.com:
Hah Taew, five lines
From 3,500 THB.
Gao Yord, nine spires
From 4,500 THB.
Pead Tidt, eight directions
From 7,000 THB.
Twin Tigers
From 10,000 THB.
Good to know
Your questions, their answers
Can a foreigner get a Sak Yant?
Yes, and the studio is built for it: everyone speaks English, and "He and his staff are honored to be a part of this Thai tradition and proud to facilitate the dreams of many foreigners who have researched Sak Yant." Do your research first, as they say.
Can women get one?
Yes. In Martin's own words: "women especially are turning more and more to Sak Yant as a way to improve different areas of their lives." The Hah Taew is a favourite.
Do I really have to keep the rules?
Traditionally, yes: the blessing is tied to how you live. Each master sets his own, and many ask you to keep at least one sincerely. Ask your master which ones apply to your Yant.
Why not a temple, or a monk?
The studio's view is firm: "Monks are not allowed to give Sak Yant Tattoos", and Sak Yant belongs to the masters and the Ruesi tradition. That is why its masters work at a shrine, not a temple.
Hand-tapped or machine?
Both are on offer at Bangkok Ink. The hand-tapped Yant with its blessing is the traditional experience; the machine version is for those who want the design alone.
Inside Bangkok Ink: Sak Yant
In depth
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Photos: Bangkok Ink. Words in quotes are the studio’s own. Prices and opening hours change: check with the studio before you go.