Thai Massage

Slip into authentic Thai dress and relax in this fluid treatment that combines massage and stretching. Let your therapist move your body into yoga poses while you do nothing but relax and enjoy.

Ancient Thai massage was brought to Thailand from India by the highly revered Shivaka Kumar Baccar. Shivaka was the Buddha’s doctor and contemporary.

Thai massage combines yoga and massage in a relaxing rhythmic motion. It has many therapeutic applications including: increased circulation, loosening tight muscles, lymph drainage, cleansing the nerves and is a great massage for sports/performance.

Energy is balanced as blockages clear through the pressure point therapy and deep yoga stretches. With synchronicity between the practitioner and the client, a healing release is experienced.

Thai Massage Techniques

Ancient Massage, like most Asian methods, is a technique used to give an experience of the total body. It is similar to acupressure and Shiatsu combined with stretches and yogic Asanas. Its nickname has become, "yoga for the lazy". Ancient Massage will strengthen the client physically and harmonize their energy so a new life experience can arise.
Ancient Massage works on the major meridians, also called energy lines or Nadis, which run throughout the human body. It aims to harmonize the body, to loosen blocks, and to recoup deficiencies along the energy lines. In contrast to traditional Chinese medicine, which uses acupuncture to manipulate the pressure points, Ancient Massage stimulates these same points with healing touch. Therefore, the points suffer less stress, and life energy, or Prana, is allowed to freely circulate.

Along with influencing the energetic side, Ancient Massage also works on the physical body. Starting at the feet and progressing up to the head, the client’s body will be moved, loosened and stretched. Ancient Massage combines techniques usually found isolated in the western physiotherapies including Trigger Point Treatments, Myofascial Techniques, Manual Therapy and others. The combination of energetic and physical aspects is unique to Ancient Massage, and so are its effects. Ancient Massage is a gift for the body, speech (energy) and mind (heart).

Ancient Massage is a way to prevent sickness. It helps to dissolve blocks before they manifest psychologically or physically, and it also improves flexibility. Injured athletes, as well as those suffering from handicaps or stress are another target group. Essentially, anyone will benefit from this powerful technique.

Thai Ancient Massage is a floor massage. The fully dressed client lies on a pad or light mattress. An ingenious system of movements allows the therapist to manipulate the client without much effort. Every movement is designed to support the client as well as the therapist. The massage is given in silence to allow the therapist to understand the client and to give the client a chance to focus and learn about himself without distraction. To give and to experience Ancient Massage is a meditative practice. At the end of a two to three hour treatment, both the receiver and the therapist will feel relaxed and energized.

In Thai Massage the energy lines and pressure points are worked within a comprehensive whole body massage that may be performed in a period ranging from one to three hours. One hour is actually too short, whereas one and one-half to two and one-half hours is considered reasonable, and two and one-half to three hours is considered ideal. Thai Massage is not a quickie toning of the muscles and loosening of the joints. It is a whole body massage which helps nearly all parts of the body.

The stretching movements of Thai Massage open the body up and have the effect of both relaxing and energizing the body. These are not called exercises, and no part of Thai Massage is called exercise, because the recipient of the massage is passive and the practitioner does all the work. The stretching movements affect the entire body. They increase body flexibility, and they release body tension at all levels. The stretching movements complement the working of energy lines and pressure points so that together the working of all three provides the comprehensive Thai Massage whole body strategy.

An important feature of the Ancient Thai Massage tradition is the practitioners themselves and what they are taught. Traditionally Thai Massage was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. It was primarily taught in the Buddhist temples. While a few of Thailand's temples still teach this art, most Thai Massage instruction is done at private institutes. Practitioners are taught to be sensitive to the client's body because the Thai Massage concept is partially based on the practitioner matching his body and movement to that of the individual client both in terms of common movement and in terms of energy. Thai Massage is meant to be practiced with a certain energy and vigor, and the pressure and stretching movements are matched to the client's needs and physical abilities. Thus, all features of Ancient Thai Massage contribute to the whole body concept, and this includes the use by the practitioner of his or her special learned techniques in the tradition of Thai Massage.

The working of the energy lines is the most fundamental aspect of the Thai Massage, but both before and after the working of these lines the practitioner is trained to apply palm pressure to the legs, the arms and the back for the purpose of body relaxation . The palm pressure applied is not a hard press, nor is it the rough sort of working you might receive in other types of massage. In Thai Massage the palm pressure is intended to both loosen up and relax.
The various pressure points on the body are as essential to Thai Massage as the energy lines. These points are akin to the pressure points in Chinese acupressure, the basis of the concept being similar, but the working of the pressure points in Thai Massage is much less specific and all on the exterior. The practitioner presses these points to achieve a state of relaxation in the patient. This is done because the points within the body build up levels of stressed energy that must be relieved. The practitioner is taught to work the area of each pressure point, after pressing, by applying a broader pressure using the thumb, the finger, or the palm and moving in a circular motion.
The bones and joints are an area that are considered especially sacred to the practitioner. They are considered delicate members of the body which should never be worked or pressed directly Thus, in Thai Massage your Masseur will never press directly into any bone, most importantly, the practitioner, will never work on the knee, the most sensitive part of a bone, cartilage and joint areas.

In work that requires the fingers, the practitioner uses a circular motion rather than a direct pressure from the finger tip. The principle here is related to that in using the ball of the thumb rather than the tip, but the fingers bring in another dimension to Thai Massage. Above it was said that the bones are never worked on directly. They are not, but they are worked indirectly. One way is by the working of the area around the bones; another is the use of the fingers moved in a circular motion over the bone. In all facets of Thai Massage where the fingers are used, a very light soothing pressure is applied by moved the fingers in a circular motion.

There are many other specific features to the art of Thai Massage and how it is applied both generally and individually. The practitioner is well-trained in these features and is always astutely aware of the patient's feelings and disposition. The stomach, for example, is a sensitive area if a person has just eaten. In this case the practitioner will not apply stomach massage. Another feature that might be overlooked in many other types of massage is hand and feet cleanliness. Because in Thai Massage all parts of the body are worked, the practitioner will make sure that both their and your hands and feet are always clean This is something you will greatly appreciate when you discover to what extent the hands and feet come into play in the application of Thai Massage.

The final feature takes the practitioner back to the beginning point of the massage, the chant. When the practitioner completes your massage, they will again recite the chant This is a fitting ending for such a long period of focused concentration on the health features of another's body The recitation of the chant at the end allows the practitioner to exit the finely tuned state of mind they have been in for the past 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Tips

Whether you are a first timer to massage or the Spa experience, or someone who has regular massage/treatments, here are some things to keep in mind to enjoy your time:

• For any oil massage, you will have to undress and slip between the sheets on the massage table. It is your choice whether you undress completely or you’re your undergarments on. Depending on the temperature of the room, there will also be a blanket that will cover the sheets. Your practitioner will direct you as to whether be on your back or front. Once you are settled on the bed, make sure that the covers are up to your shoulders, covering your body. Your practitioner will give you enough time to settle and then knock on the door to see if you are ready or not. When you give the signal, then they will enter and get ready to start the massage.
• For non-oil treatments such as shiatsu and thai, you will either wear your own clothes if they are loose or use clothes provided. The treatment will be done over/through the clothes.
• Once the treatment begins, what experience you have is between you and your practitioner. You determine how it goes. If you want more or less pressure, then communicate this to the practitioner. If you want a particular area to have more attention, then communicate this. If the practitioner is good, they will continuously be asking you questions, to determine these. The clearer you are, the more personalized your treatment will be. If the practitioner is not open to you communicating your needs, then they are not worth continuing with.
• Many people ask how much they should talk in a treatment. The answer is that it is completely up to you. You are paying for the service. If you need to chat, then chat. If you wish to be silent and fall asleep, then go for it. The practitioner will respect this. Again, you are paying for the treatment.
• As the practitioner moves around to different areas of your body, they will be moving the covers on and off. They will doing this while keeping your private areas still covered. The technique of draping is taught in all the schools and is essential part of a treatment. The experience should always be a comfortable one for both you and the practitioner.

The length of time of the massage

Usually places will give options of 30/60/90/120 minutes. A 30 minute massage is considered a “teaser”. It is used if you have a specific area that you want worked on for a short period of time. A 60 minute massage is considered the standard minimal for a full body massage experience. Both 90 and 120 are better if want the full experience as well as concentrate on a specific area. These times mean that the practitioner can take their time to really focus on areas that need attention. For the specialty treatments such as: hot rocks, salt exfoliations and body wraps, 90 minutes is considered the minimum. 120 minutes is considered the standard. These treatments take time and need the extra to have the full experience. It is well worth the extra time!

Timing – our guarantee

Many spas will take 10 minutes off the massage time and use this as part of the preparation time. Therefore, a 60 minute massage, becomes a 50 minute and so on. At Nibbana Healing Spa, we believe that you get what you paid for and a full body massage is a full 60 minutes. Instead of the time taken off of the time taken for you to prepare, we absorb that time in our schedule. We want you to have the maximum benefit. So, you have an extra 10 minutes to enjoy.