A thermally assisted magnetic recording head has a waveguide that propagates laser light as propagating light; a main pole that has a first end portion on an air bearing surface (ABS) facing a magnetic recording medium and that emits a magnetic flux to the magnetic recording medium; a metal layer that is positioned between the main pole and the waveguide, that extends from a second end portion positioned on the ABS in a height direction, that generates surface plasmons from the propagating light, and that generates near-field light (NF light) from the surface plasmons at the second end portion; and a dielectric body layer that is surrounded by the metal layer and that extends from a third end portion positioned on the ABS in a height direction.