Traditional Thai Massage
Traditional Thai massage is a very old form of massage therapy developed in Thailand. The moves have been described as ‘choreographic’ and ‘lazy yoga’ as they are influenced by yoga—as well as the traditional medicine systems of India, China and Southeast Asia.
What to expect
You’ll be led into one of our warm, comfortable treatment rooms and then you’ll lie down on a comfortable massage bed. The massage usually starts with some acupressure, where you’ll be massaged with thumbs, palms, forearms, elbows, feet, knees and sometimes even shins, using special deep stretching techniques. Don’t worry—you don’t have to be super-flexible to enjoy an authentic Thai massage—although you might find that if you have regular sessions, you’ll naturally become looser and more flexible.
Thai massage is designed to unblock the energy flow within your body which enables you to be relieved of stress. In Thai massage, the energy channels that course through your body are called ‘Sen’ but they follow the same routes as the Chinese Meridians which you might recognise from acupuncture or acupressure.
As the massage progresses, each of these Sen channels will be pressed and massaged while your arms, legs and body are moved into different positions. Once the pressing part of the massage is complete, the stretching will start. The therapist will start off with gentle and subtle stretches and then progress to the famous long stretches.
What is Thai massage good for?
A traditional Thai massage works in two ways; the pressure massage gets your body relaxed and ready for the stretches, and the stretches release tension and enable the energy to flow more freely around your body. You also get an amazing stretch that feels so good you’ll want more.
Afterwards, you might find that you’re more energetic, but at the same time relaxed. Your muscles and joints will feel less tense. Your first ever Thai massage can feel like a strange experience as some of the pressure techniques are different to other types of massage. As for the stretches; your therapist will only push you as far as is comfortable—unless you ask for more—and some people are surprised at how flexible they actually are!
Who shouldn’t have a Thai massage?
Thai massage is a very safe form of massage, but if there’s anything worrying you, or you have any health conditions, call or visit and we’ll be happy to talk to you about whether it’s suitable.
We’ll happily adapt our massage to suit you, and any health issues you have, but there are some conditions that mean it might be a better idea to book a different type of massage. These include conditions that affect your joints, or musculoskeletal disorders. If you suffer from high blood pressure, thrombosis or varicose veins it might not suit you, either.
If you’re pregnant or have just had an operation, we’d advise you to wait a while before having a Thai massage. If in doubt, please speak to your GP.
