About Thai Massage and F.A.Q.
What is Thai Massage?
Thai massage is a system of massage and bodywork techniques originating from Thailand. There are three types of Thai massage.
Thai Tourist Massage: if you’ve been to Thailand and gotten a massage, then you have most certainly experienced tourist massage. This is spa like, it can hurt at times, but you still feel great after.
Thai Home Massage: this is what family householders in Thailand know and practice together, rubbing away each others aches and pains after a day’s chores and work.
Thai Medical Massage: This is offered by Thai massage doctors. Traditional massage doctors specializes in massage and bodywork practices to eradicate disease and illness.
What kind of massage does Sarah offer?
Sarah offers Thai medical massage. Thai medical massage is not full body maintenance work. Instead, Thai medical massage addresses the problem, pain or imbalance through a Thai medical theory lens and uses Thai bodywork or Thai herbal medicine to treat the issue. This can look spot-specific or whole-body systemic work, depending on the imbalance.
How is Thai Massage different from normal massage?
Thai massage can at times resemble Swedish massage. Swedish massage has lots of different techniques in their tool basket and Thai massage shares many of the same techniques and tools, including the application of oil. Thai massage has other bodywork techniques too, like the use of hot herbal compresses, stretching, fire cupping and more. But what really makes Thai massage different, is Thai element theory. Thai element theory (Theravada Buddhist element theory) is based off of the four main elements: earth, water, fire and wind. Imbalance in these elements creates disease of body and/or mind. By balancing the elements, like through bodywork and herbal medicine (working directly with the earth element here), we can bring the elements back to balance.
This means when your therapist decides during a treatment to use oil, or to stretch the body, or to work deeply in one place in the body, or to cup the body, they are doing these techniques for a specific elemental purpose like to calm an overly agitated wind imbalance, nourish a depleted water imbalance, or break up an excess earth imbalance.
Thai massage isn’t based on flexibility. Yes, your therapist may stretch you. But there is also a chance other techniques will be more beneficial, or that stretching could be contraindicated for your imbalance. Passive stretching is one out of many, many techniques in a Thai massage therapist tool basket. However, if you are noticeably inflexible, then your muscles might be grateful for a nice stretch!
Isn’t this all about stretching? I’m not flexible.
What do I wear for a Thai bodywork session?
You can wear shorts and a t-shirt, or something loose, comfortable and flexible. I also provide large t-shirts and Thai pants if patients forget or don’t wear ideal Thai massage clothing.
Is Thai Yoga and Thai Massage the same thing?
The term Thai yoga does not originate in Thailand. People mistake using the words “Thai yoga” to refer to Thai massage. It is incorrect and culturally appropriated. Please use the words Thai bodywork or Thai massage.
Yoga is a self-care practice originating from India.
Thailand has its own self-care yoga-like practice called, Reusi Dat Ton (RDT). It would make sense that people would use the word Thai Yoga to refer to Reusi Dat Ton (RDT), but that is usually not the case.
Is Thai Medicine the same as Ayurveda or Chinese Medicine?
Thai medicine is its own unique system of medicine separate from Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine, Native American Medicine, etc.. Thai Medicine has its roots in Thai folk medicine practices, Thai element theory, and Buddhist medicine philosophy. Throughout the last thousand or more years, traditional Thai medicine has evolved into the system it is today composed of 5 roots (and lots of specialties). The five roots are:
Herbal Medicine (internal therapies): Medicines including plants, minerals and animals in the form of single herb medicines, compound herb medicines, and use of food as medicine.
Orthopedic Medicine (external therapies): All physical therapies applied to the external body including: point therapy, application of oils and herbs, bone setting (indigenous chiropractics), cupping, scraping, stretching, tok sên, blood letting and much more. All therapies found in modern day Thai massage fall in this branch.
Divination (oracular sciences): Use of astrology, numerology, palmistry, geomancy, tarot and other oracular sciences to determine health of body mind and spirit as well as to predict likely issues and advise on remedial measures.
Spirit Medicine (shamanic and animistic practices): Use of spirits, amulets, incantations, magical tattoos, spiritual herbalism, demons, deities and other metaphysical and animistic practices for healing arts, protection and attraction.
Buddhism (mental health and harmonious living): This can be seen as the mental health root of Thai medicine.
Your provider here at Manifest It Wellness has a general background in all 5 roots with extensive education and experience in Orthopedic Medicine, specializing in Thai medical massage and bodywork for women’s health and chronic pain.