Traditional Thai Massage

Increasingly, Bangkok urbanites are finding that their level of fitness and overall health have seen better days. Lack of exercise and poor eating habits are taking their toll as city dwellers hurry to and from work in polluted and traffic congested surroundings. Upper respiratory problems, chronic diseases and obesity are all on the rise. Ancient healing and alternative medicine methods as well as a long and trusted history in traditional Thai massage therapy, are well established practices in this part of the world. Progressively, people have become more aware of massage therapy’s restoration on the harmonious balance between body, mind and spirit. The age old practice of dispensing treatment intended to restore health, soothe tired muscles and bring inner peace has not lost its importance in today’s Thai society as young former skeptics line the massage shops in malls and sidewalks all over towns, cities and beaches in this populous country.

Bits of History

Traditional Thai massage is deeply rooted in history. Developed from early Chinese acupuncture, and employed by Buddhist monks for centuries, massage therapy was used along with herbal remedies before modern medicine came into the scene. The technique for Thai massage is based on the currents of energy believed to flow throughout the body’s many passageways and their convergence at many points. Pressure can be applied or needles inserted at these points to unblock the energy streams and remove blockages thus allowing free energy flow to balance the body's inner systems. Getting a regular massage is practiced today by older Thais as this has repeatedly proved to support good health and longevity. Increasingly though, the younger generations, who pushed massage aside as a thing of the past, are coming back to the rebirth of the movement that’s drawing in more tourism to this country than the famed beaches and amazing Buddhist temples.

Traditional Massage Instruction

One of the oldest, most beautiful and largest religious temples in Bangkok, Wat Pho, is also home to one of the better international centers for learning (and receiving) traditional Thai massage. The temple houses the national Thai Headquarters for the Instruction and Preservation of Traditional Medicine, including massage therapy. The manipulation techniques were so respected that in the 1700’s by order of King Rama III, the procedures were engraved into slate tablets and placed around the great temple to ascertain their safety. The sixty tablets linger to this day; some undecipherable by time while other images serve as samples for the applied techniques followed by today’s school of massage therapy. Dating no less than 2500 years, Thailand’s traditional medicine is the by-product of long and diverse historical and cultural progress. Attaining an even level of societal stability, the Thais found ways to decipher the mysteries of the human body including the skilled capacity to treat disease and disharmony of physical, emotional, and spiritual origins.

Ancient Healing Art Form

The art of traditional Thai massage is said to have ambled from India to Thailand along with Buddhism in 200 BC. Traditional Thai massage has evolved through centuries of knowledge stressing that the body’s life energy extends along lines in a crisscross pattern to distribute blood and life energy to bones, muscles and organs thus unblocking inner body hubs of disease. Massage rejuvenates bodily systems -- by increasing energy and lymphatic flow -- as well as the skin’s surface.

Treatments and Techniques

Besides traditional massage (which may include full body; shoulders, back and neck; lower body, legs and feet; and head massage therapies, all at once or separately) Thai massage therapy traditionally begins the manipulation at the feet as these are considered the beginning and ending of the energy lines of the body. The massage healer will use his/her feet, palms, thumbs, elbows, forearms and knees to apply deep pressure along the energy pathways. Other techniques resemble a form of yoga administered with twists and stretches of the patient’s limbs. Using their palms and thumbs on the soles of patients’ feet with gentle and consistent pressure, masseuses continue up each leg and upper body using a variety of techniques. At times, the healers or manipulators as they are sometimes called in Thai pull and push with their own feet and knead with their fists along energy lines. Thai massage is slow paced, each motion meant to bring harmony and peace into the body by creating a feeling of balance and well-being. Arms and legs are stretched beyond their normal range of motion but never in a painful way. The end result is one of calm and balance.

Spas

Thailand’s spas offer an array of cures by means of Thai herbs and essential oils. Bodies can be exfoliated and aromatized leaving a youthful and firmer appearance; there are body wraps that will energize and reduce inner water content as well as all type of hair removal techniques. Essential oils common in Thailand include nutmeg and mint; magrut, a small lime which is great for hair-care; lemon grass, a popular cooking herb that clears nasal passages; and prai, a type of ginger, an antiseptic which doubles-up as a skin-beautifier and purifier.

The Person as a Whole

From head to toe, Thais and tourists alike, treat themselves to traditional rub-downs. A foot massage is a pampering tool from which to treat the whole body as it re-directs the flow of energy through the right channels. By the manipulation of the different parts of the foot, (reflexology) a reflex action can be produced in another part of the body, thus treating diverse physical concerns. In Thailand, spas aim to treat the person as a whole; many offer two day, three day and week-long treatment courses including yoga, nutrition and meditation. Unlike US spas, their Thai counterparts are very affordable. There’s a spa for every pocket book as Thais see them as a necessity for coping with their hectic pace of life, pollution and horrendous traffic and not as a pampering luxury. EW