A TOURIST has died during a massage in a red light district after being left wheezing and gasping for air on the table.
Lee Mun Tuck, 52, was enjoying the rub down on the notoriously seedy tourist island of Phuket, Thailand, on Saturday before he was left fighting for his life.
The squalid shop in Thailand‘s red light district was operating as a laundrette but was illegally offering massages to tourists.
Lee reportedly fell unconscious towards the climax of the 45-minute session.
Panicked witnesses at the parlour tried desperately to wake Lee up, but he remained unresponsive.
It is believed the tourist died before he reached Patong Hospital, after officers received the report at 11.05pm.
His body was found dead on the table when cops reached the scene, with only a blanket to cover him.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Mekchai said: “The shop did not have the correct documentation to be providing a massage service.
“The owner has been summoned as part of the investigation.
“The wife claimed that her husband’s death was related to his health.
“She said he was a heavy drinker who never exercises and is always lacking sleep.
“He was a regular at the shop and was said to have drunk beer before getting a massage.”
He went onto say that his wife does not question his cause of death.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan continued: “The wife is not questioning the cause of his death, but we are still investigating.
“She has declined to have him undergo a post-mortem examination and is requesting to have his body repatriated to Singapore for a religious ceremony.
“The shop did not have the correct documentation to be providing a massage service. The owner has been summoned as part of the investigation.”
Although the unregulated profession is generally considered safe, there have been cases of adverse effects – and even deaths – during or after Thai massage sessions.
The movements involved in the massage can elevate heart rates, potentially leading to cardiovascular complications.
There are also risks of muscle strain or spinal injuries if the masseur is untrained.
Just a day after Lee’s death, Thai singer Chanida Phraohom died after allegedly having her neck twisted repeatedly over several Thai massage sessions in Udon Thani province.
She reportedly experienced numbness, weakness in her limbs, swelling, and bruising for several weeks before passing away on Sunday.
In April 2019, Spanish man Vicente Fernandez, 67, also died when he allegedly suffered seizures during an oil massage in Pattaya, Thailand.
The masseuse was massaging his abdomen when he was said to have begun shaking violently before collapsing.
Authorities later found that the shop had been operating illegally and that the masseuse was unlicensed.
