Hey, look, a traveler’s tale about bizarre practices encountered in a foreign country. Note the tabloid “headline doesn’t match the story” bit — headline talks about breast slapping for “health”, story says it’s for enlargement.

Bust a move: Breast-slapping new health craze in Thailand

Want bigger breasts but shy away from the idea of surgery? Thailand claims to have the answer.

Already famous for its medical tourism services – including cheap breast implants – Thailand is promoting a “body slapping” technique that it claims can boost breast size, according to a video by the Bangkok Post.

It has even licensed one beauty shop in Bangkok to perform the non-surgical treatment, which involves kneading, massaging and hitting of the breasts, as well as buttock-slapping to firm the rear.

The traditional therapy has been practised by shop owner Khemmikka Na Songkhla — better known as Khunying Tobnom – for more than two decades. She claims the slapping shifts fat from one area to another, while kneading works excess fat towards the breasts.

She has approval from the Thai Government to carry out the technique after a study by the Thai Health Ministry reportedly found vigorous massage left volunteers’ breasts noticeably bigger. The Ministry went so far as to sponsor a program that urged women to learn how to slap their own breasts.

Clients can expect to gain about 5cm after the painful treatment, Tobnom said. However some are turned away as their breasts are too small.

The clinic charges $380 for six 10-minute slapping sessions

I suppose a bit of temporary puffiness from bruising and inflammation counts as “larger”, eh?