House of the fire-eyed hermit

Deep in the guts of a Bangkok suburb hiding behind a Buddhist temple is the lair of Ajarn Thoy. He is a
modern day shaman practising clairvoyance, exorcisms and most importantly the ancient tradition of sak
yant, magic tattooing.

These ritualistic images and lettering are hacked into the skin with a sharp metal spike dipped in ink.
Traditionally sak yant is used by professionals of dangerous occupations like taxi drivers and firemen.
Nowadays the tradition is followed by many devotees and fans both thai and foreign nationals. Annual wai khru ceremony gathers these devotees to take part in this 3-day event to get tattoos, blessings, predictions and amulets for protection and good luck.