We’ll be honest. Thai massage therapy tops our list of favourite massage treatments. Thai is becoming one of the most popular types of massage at spas across the world. That’s because stretching feels good and relieves pain– especially when a trained Thai massage therapist who knows what they are doing performs it.
What Is Thai Massage?
Considered a medical treatment in Thailand, Thai massage is sometimes referred to as “lazy man’s (or woman’s) yoga”. This is because it resembles a series of assisted yoga poses. Basically, your therapist guides you through a series of stretches across your entire body.
During your massage, you lie on a comfortable floor mat or on a massage table wide enough to accommodate your therapist and yourself. A traditional Thai massage also incorporates Ayurvedic principals and acupressure said to release blockages along energy lines.
Your therapist might kneel on the back of your legs and pull your arms to arch your back and open your chest. Or she may place her shoulder under your heel to lift your leg and stretch your hamstring. Because Thai massage involves a lot of movement, you wear loose-fitting clothing, often provided by the spa. As you can imagine, lying under a massage sheet just doesn’t work.
Benefits of This Centuries-old Treatment
Historians credit an Indian physician said to be a contemporary of Buddha, with developing Thai massage. Shivago Kumar Bhucca’s original idea was to help Buddhist monks and nuns become more flexible so they could meditate for hours. Nowadays, lack of flexibility and muscle tension are big concerns for just about everyone on the planet. The benefits of Thai massage are numerous and include:
- Reduce muscle tension and spasms
- Mobilize the joints
- Improve blood circulation
- Improve balance and increase energy
- Treat sciatica, headaches and neck pain
- Improve mood and decrease anxiety and tension
- Help with osteoarthritis that can cause joint pain in the hands, knees, lower back, and neck
- Increase immune function
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