A Singaporean tourist died while having an oil massage in a notorious red light district in Thailand.

Lee Mun Tuck, 52, was enjoying a rub-down when he started wheezing and gasping for air on the massage table at the seedy parlour on the bustling tourist island of Phuket on December 7.

The masseuse panicked when the customer reportedly fell unconscious towards the climax of the 45-minute session. They tried to wake him up, and called an ambulance when he was still unresponsive.

Medics rushed the holidaymaker to the Patong Hospital, but he could not be revived. Doctors believe he had already died before reaching the hospital.

Officers said the squalid shop along the Patong Beach red light strip was operating as a laundrette but was illegally offering massages to tourists.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Mekchai of the Patong Police Station said officers received a report at 11:05 pm local time. Cops arrived at the hospital's emergency department, where Lee's body was lying on a bed and covered with a blanket.

He said: 'Initial inspections of the body showed there were no visible wounds.'

Police Colonel Chalermchai Hernsawat, superintendent of the Patong Police Station, said Lee's wife was waiting for him to return home from massage parlour when he collapsed.

The police boss said: '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.

'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.'

The risks associated with Thai massage have not been extensively studied.

Though 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 December 8.

In January 2022, British man Robert John Swain, 70, died while receiving a 'happy ending' massage from a masseuse, 'Miss Oraya', 39, in Thai 'Sin City' Pattaya. Midway through the session, the Brit reportedly began gasping for breath.

Oraya called for help, and staff tried to revive him with CPR. They were unable to revive him and covered him with a blanket before moving his body to the hospital.

While in April 2019, Spanish man Vicente Fernandez, 67, also died when he allegedly suffered seizures during an oil massage also in Pattaya. 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.