Inside the final hours before Australian lawyer died in Thai massage parlour

It was after midnight when Christopher Saines, a young and seemingly fit law firm chief executive, walked through the glass doors of Siam Touch Health Massage in the popular Thailand holiday destination of Koh Samui.

He was barefooted and carrying a beer, this masthead understands. He reportedly handed over the equivalent of about $20 for a traditional Thai massage.

What happened next, and why he never made it out alive in the early hours of Monday, remains a mystery and the subject of a tight-lipped police investigation.

Brisbane lawyer Chris Saines with wife Chantho in 2018.

White powder found with his body has been sent away for testing, a process that could take several weeks. Authorities are yet to confirm if there are any other factors they are considering in his death.

But small details have emerged. This masthead understands the massage finished about 2am, at which time Saines asked to use the bathroom on the third floor. When he returned to the second floor, he complained of feeling tired and was allowed to rest.

He is believed to have still been alive by 4am because the massage therapists could still hear him snoring. But several hours later, when they attempted to wake him, he was dead.

Villa Mia in the Bo Phut subdistrict of Koh Samui, where Christopher Saines was staying. It was about five minutes’ drive from the massage parlour. Credit: Villamiasamui

Saines, his wife and people believed to be other family members were staying about 20 minutes’ walk from the parlour at Villa Mia, which offers large accommodation costing between about $2500 to $7500 a night.

His family released a statement earlier this week saying that at just 43, the lawyer had made a profound impact through his professional achievements and his unwavering commitment to the people and causes he cared about most.

“He lived with purpose, passion and drive,” the family said in a statement.

Saines had been the director of Brisbane law firm GLG Legal since 2016. The firm is based in Queen Street in the city’s CBD on the second-highest floor of the 26-storey building, which sold for $250 million last year.

The Koh Samui massage parlour where Brisbane lawyer Christopher Saines was found dead. It has been closed since his death on Monday.

Saines’ office was quiet on Friday, and his colleagues declined to provide further comment about the case.

Saines had experience across commercial, corporate and property law, and also volunteered across multiple agencies, including the Caxton Legal Centre, the Australian Red Cross and the Prisoners’ Legal Service.

Photos of Saines in recent years posted by his wife show him on boats with their children, and on family outings at Movie World on the Gold Coast or on beach holidays in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.

It is understood his family wish to have his body cremated in a temple on the island before his ashes are returned to Australia.

Saines with wife Chantho.

The massage parlour has been closed since Monday, locals say, though there are sandals sitting by the door.

Koh Samui, Thailand’s second-largest island with almost 70,000 residents, has had a resurgence in the number of tourists following the latest White Lotus series. It was also where cricket legend Shane Warne died from a heart attack in 2022.

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