Traditional Thai Massage

Traditional Thai massage is an eastern style of bodywork based on the concept of energy. It is an ancient art of therapeutic healing, dating back 3000 years, which incorporates an ancient combination of acupressure, energy meridian work, and yoga like stretching for an invigorating and balancing practice.

 Thai massage enhances strength and flexibility, relaxes sore or tense muscles and can help to recapture lost range of motion. Thai Massage employs the principles of Yoga and Acupressure and is meant to induce deep relaxation and increased energy flow through the body. Its origins go back to the days of the Buddha, when a doctor acquainted with the spiritual figure began treating his clients with a slow, stretching kind of massage. According to popular lore, instruction of the technique was then handed down orally from generation to generation until at last it was written on palm leaves and regarded as sacred text.

The spiritual atmosphere surrounding the practice remains intact today. Before each session, the practitioner centers his/herself to quiet the mind, focus energy on the task at hand, and ask for help from the universe. The practitioner then rubs his/her hands together to induce heat and begins applying pressure to the recipient's feet, eventually moving upward to the head.

In watching the technique, one gets the sense that "massage" is somewhat of a misnomer. Unlike the scooping and continuous strokes of Swedish massage, the Thai method uses mainly point pressure and muscle stretching. And it is not just the hands that are used to free tension stored in the recipient's body, but the feet and elbows as well.