សាក់យ័ន្ត sak yant · Funky Lane, Siem Reap
TRADITIONAL CAMBODIAN SACRED TATTOOS IN SIEM REAP
Preservation Khmer SakYant is a Khmer sak yant tattoo studio on Funky Lane in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Chantha, our tattoo artist, has studied with Khmer masters since 2014. He and our SakYant specialist artists tattoo by hand with a bamboo rod or by machine, and a full sak yant blessing ceremony follows the tattoo. Book on WhatsApp or Instagram.
4.9from 135 reviews on Google, October 2026Read the reviews
The studio
Preservation Khmer SakYant is a sak yant tattoo studio on Funky Lane in Siem Reap, and the designs we tattoo are the Khmer designs our tattoo artist, Chantha, was taught.
A sak yant is more than a picture. Each yant joins a design to lines of Khmer script and is given with a blessing, for what it is believed to bring: protection, luck or strength. So before we tattoo anything, we talk with you about what the design means and where it belongs on your body.
We are not only a place for sak yant tattooing: we give meaning to those who seek it, and a unique experience rooted in ancient Khmer culture.
Lineage
In Cambodia, sak yant passes from master to student, in person. Chantha has studied that way for more than ten years: with Master Sarem and Pho Sombo in Battambang province, with Prom Tuy of Phnom Bok, and with the elder master Lot Bo, who was 92 when he taught his course in 2023. The studio's plan was ten masters; in April 2026 it stood with seven. Today Chantha and the studio's artists tattoo at our ashram on Funky Lane. Meet Chantha's teachers.
The artists
Chantha leads the studio, and Rayou, Changkar and Aim are our SakYant specialist artists. They tattoo at our ashram on Funky Lane, by hand with a bamboo rod or by machine.
Chantha
SakYant master
Rayou
SakYant specialist artist
Changkar
SakYant specialist artist
Aim
SakYant specialist artist
How it works
Message us on WhatsApp or Instagram. A small design, about the size of a hand, can be done in a single visit. A large piece starts with a consultation to go through the details.
Bring your idea and the meaning you need, not a picture from the internet, and we choose the design with you. Some designs have a set place on the body, so we tell you if the one you like suits the spot you have in mind.
Chantha or one of the studio's artists taps the design by hand with a long bamboo rod, or uses a machine. When the tattoo is finished, a full sak yant blessing ceremony follows, in the traditional way.
Keep the new sak yant clean, out of direct sun and out of the water until it has healed.
Each stage in more detail: getting a sak yant, step by step
Ask us about a design, what it means, where it should go or how the session works. Instagram and WhatsApp are the best ways to reach us.
Short answers to the questions we hear most
Designs
Each design has its own meaning and its usual place on the body, and we go through both with you before you choose.
Design
The Hanuman Yantra is worn for protection and to keep bad things away, and for power, strength, agility, cleverness, success and good luck. In the Khmer Reamker, Hanuman was the king of all the monkeys and the commander of King Ream.
Yant Kla: what the tiger yantra is for, with photos of our work.
what the Two Naga Yantra is for, with photos of our work.
Khmer and Cambodian tattoo designs
our designs in 48 photos, on real skin.
See our work, by placement
photographs of finished pieces, by where they sit on the body.
what the writing in a Khmer yant is.
Preservation Khmer SakYant
From the masters' books. Every design we tattoo comes from Cambodian elder masters and has a clear source. We do not make up new designs, and we do not tattoo designs from the internet.
Each design in its right place. Some yant belong only on certain parts of the body, and we tell you where yours can go.
By rod or by machine. Our artists tattoo by hand with a long rod or by machine, and every sak yant is given with a blessing.
Small or large. A hand-size design can be done in one visit, and it has the same meaning as the big designs. A large piece starts with a consultation.
Rated 4.9 from 135 reviews on Google, October 2026. Read the reviews on Google
★★★★★
Lovely experience at Preservation Khmer Sak Yant. Chantra explained the meanings of the yant designs I was interested in, and Ryu did an amazing job with the tattoo. Extra special.
★★★★★
Just had my first Sakyant tattoo, and I love it so much, the place is big and clean, all the artists are so friendly and kind, highly recommend 🫶
★★★★★
This is a wonderful sakyant tattoo shop in siem reap. What a great experience! Best recommendation for everyone, who want an authentic sakyant tattoo.
★★★★★
Got inked here and they were friendly, helpful and very skilled. I chose the bamboo method and the ink looks great. I highly recommend their services. Update: This tattoo healed in 4 to 5 days using the bamboo method.
★★★★★
The team at Preservation Khmer Sak Yant are amazing. I had a small piece done on my back and am so happy with the results. Rayou did my piece with the bamboo needle and was very attentive and patient throughout the whole process. I would recommend them to anyone looking for Sak Yant. Thank you so much!! ❤️
★★★★★
Had a wonderfull experience. Such a warm soul and also very kind. The result exceeded my expectation! I love the sacredness and meaning of the practice. Will recommend to friends!
★★★★★
I highly recommend preservation for your traditional Khmer SakYant tattoo needs. Chanta is very friendly, helpful and well-educated on traditional Khmer tattoo mantra, technique and history. The final piece turned out beautiful.
★★★★★
It was great from the first contact. They were quick with answering and gave all the information I was asking for. Wanted to get a sak yant as a gift to myself on my honeymoon. When I got there, we talked about what I might want to get and narrowed it down. The process went very smoothly. It was pretty painless. We talked about the ancient styles of tattooing since I'm Filipino and have a batok tattoo. Would get another if I ever go back to Siem Reap.
★★★★★
From the moment I sent them my first message to set up an appointment, they were kind and understanding. I have had 13 tattoos done all over the world and I can say that doing a SakYant tattoo at Preservation has been the most meaningful of all of them. The artists really understand the importance of what they are doing and want to share their mastery with the world. I can't wait to get my next one done here as well!
★★★★★
Got my very first Sak Yant here and it was an amazing experience. Chantha and all the artist here are authentic/passionate and taught us about the history of Sak Yant. They were able to fit our group of 4 in their busy schedule and treated us with kindness. We bought offerings before our tattoos and got our Sak yants blessed as well. Thank you again to Chantha and everyone at Preservation Tattoo!
★★★★★
I'm immensely thankful to the guys. They made our experience uniquely special. Despite booking our tattoo appointment at the last minute, they accommodated us. As the first Bulgarians there, it feels even more extraordinary. My blood pressure dropped, and they kindly brought me a Cola. Overall, it was amazing!
★★★★★
Getting a tattoo from Chanta was an unforgettable experience! He is very knowledgeable and professional, he makes sure you are comfortable during the whole experience and is happy to answer all the questions you might have. I highly recommend choosing him if you want to get a traditional SakYant tattoo. I’m so happy with my tattoo!
សៀមរាប Siem Reap · Visit & prices
We price each sak yant by its size and its design. Tell us on WhatsApp what you have in mind and we will give you a price.
Book on WhatsApp
+855 96 694 5501
Message us on WhatsApp Message us on InstagramMany visitors come to Siem Reap for the temples of Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and some of them leave with a sak yant. Others already live in Cambodia.
A sak yant (សាក់យ័ន្ត) is a sacred tattoo. Sak means to tattoo and yant is the sacred design: figures, geometry and lines of Khmer script, given with a blessing for what they are believed to bring. In Cambodia the art is handed down from teacher to student.
Sak yant designs are older than Angkor Wat, but in that time they were drawn on stone and beneath the temples, not tattooed. The ancient masters began to tattoo sak yant after Angkor Wat.
As The Cambodia Daily reported in 2001, traditional Khmer tattooing was an art "once performed by monks or spiritual teachers", whose tattoos often showed Buddhist and Hindu deities.
More on the tradition: Khmer sak yant
Each design is believed to give something specific, and every sak yant is made for three main reasons: fear (to prevent or protect), need (to liberate or solve) and deficiency (to disperse or dissolve).
In plain terms: a yant can guard you against what you fear, help with what you need, or clear away what holds you back. A Hanuman yant, for example, is worn for protection, strength and courage.
The tiger, design by design: tiger sak yant
Yes. Some designs have their own specific places, and most go from the hip up. Designs that stand for the Buddha, gods, great hermits, the gods' animals, commanders and kings keep their place. On the legs it is mostly the animals, though not all of them, and some protection and good luck mantras.
That is why we talk through the placement with you before we tattoo.
Yes. A sak yant is for men and women alike. You see fewer on older Cambodian women because more men joined the army, and today men and women get sak yant in similar numbers.
Yes. What matters is not where you come from but who tattoos you, and that you take the design seriously. Sak yant passes from master to student, so ask any studio who taught its artists, and read about the masters who taught Chantha.
It depends on the size. A small design, about the size of a hand, can be done in a single visit. A large piece, such as a full back, can take a whole day: see how long a sak yant takes.
Hygiene is worth asking about at any tattoo studio. Ask us on WhatsApp how the rod and needles are prepared.
We price each sak yant by its size and its design, so we can give you a price once we know what you want. The blessing also asks for an offering. Each person brings seven kinds of fruit, ten lotus flowers, five candles, cigarettes and one pack of incense.
Offerings to the teacher are an old part of the practice: a practitioner told The Cambodia Daily in the same 2001 report that students offer their teacher fruit, cloth and incense before a tattoo ceremony.
How pricing works and how to book
Message us on WhatsApp or Instagram. Tell us what you have in mind, or ask us to help you choose. The studio is on Funky Lane in Siem Reap.
Before you go: all our sak yant guides
Message us on WhatsApp or Instagram with the design you have in mind, or any question about sak yant. Facebook and email work too.
