Aussie tourist found dead after late-night massage on Koh Samui

A barefoot Aussie holidaymaker was found dead in a Koh Samui massage parlour, hours after staff assumed he’d simply nodded off following a midnight rubdown.

The 43 year old man, identified only as Christopher from Brisbane, was discovered lifeless in the early hours of Sunday, July 7, at a massage shop in Bo Phut, on the Thai holiday island.

Police from Bo Phut Station and medics from Koh Samui Hospital arrived at the scene around 7am and confirmed the man had died on a narrow bed inside one of the parlour’s private upstairs rooms. He had paid 400 baht for a one-hour traditional oil massage just after midnight, and never got up again.

A 47 year old masseuse, Premyupa, told officers that the Australian man came in alone, walking barefoot, and asked for a massage.

“After we finished, he said he wanted to lie down and rest. I left him for a while, and when I came back, he was still snoring. It wasn’t until much later I realised he wasn’t breathing.”

She added that she’d last heard him snoring around 4am. When she returned later to wake him, she found him cold and unresponsive, with both legs hanging off the side of the bed.

Paramedics were called, but it was too late. His body was found in one of four 2×3 metre cubicles on the second floor, each used for private massage sessions.

Police said Christopher had travelled to Koh Samui with his wife but had gone to the parlour alone from his nearby hotel. At this stage, there are no signs of foul play. A post-mortem examination will confirm the cause of death, KhaoSod reported.

The incident comes just days after another tragedy on the island, when a 45 year old Austrian tourist fell to his death down a flight of hotel stairs in the same Bo Phut district.

The fatal accident occurred on Wednesday, July 2, when Bo Phut Police Station, Surat Thani province, received an urgent report from the 191 centre at around 5am.

The foreigner was found dead at the scene. Police quickly launched an investigation.