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To Those Studying Thai Massage


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Hey all,

had a Thai massage yesterday, in which I was streched, yanked, pressed and prodded. Same as usual - bit painful at the time - but more so as I really don't think the girl knew what she was doing...

She seemed to think that the more pressure she applied the better...

...to the extent that I thought she was gonna pull the skin and muscles away from my spine. She actually tried to yank my fingers out of their sockets too - the joints refused to click, and she wasn't gonna give up until they did...!

I'd told her that I have a stiff neck. This just meant that she applied even more pressure... I told her it was painful, and she just giggled and continued on.

I went to a nice spa for this - torture!

I wonder what damage these girl could do (if someone has muscles imbalances, or existing weaknesses - which so many of us have these days, what with sitting at desks, and not getting enough exercise and such) with one of these 'treatments'.

Are there any 'experts' on Thai massage here, perhaps students studying it, who have info...

Does it address stiff necks / muscles imbalances and the like?

Do they adjust what they are doing to work on specific areas (like knots) as a trained Sweedish massuese would do?

Or is it just 'one massage suits all'?

Are they 'trained' (I use the word very loosely) to spot problems - alignement issues / lumps / muscle imbalances?

If anyone has any training or knowledge of Thai massage, I'd be interested to find out what exactly the 'science' is behind a GOOD Thai massage.

I assume it was a system developed years ago, with anatomy and physiology in mind, but does anyone know how it works, and the effectiveness of it?

It doesn't seem to address relaxing the mind in any way. Switching off and entering a deep state of relaxation isn't the aim of it in the same way that Western traditional massages do.

Did it begin in Thailand, or does it have links to Chinese medicine as it uses a pressure point system?

Is there only one method?

Rather than an oil massage (of which I've had soooooo many bad ones in Thailand) I thought Thai massueses would at least be able to give a good Thai massage! It got me thinking of the young Aussie girl who ended up being unable to move from her neck down a couple of days later. Seriously disabled by an untrained massuese. If it can happen in Oz then I'm sure it must also happen here... a lot!

Does anyone know any stories of people suffering as a result of a 'bad' massage?

If massueses here are not licensed and there doesn't seem to be any national accreditation system either, I guess you always run the risk... how is one to tell who is a good masseuse?

Is Wat Po training all it's cracked up to be?

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Yeah, what the guy sez....you can usually tell within the 1st few minutes if the masseur/masseuse knows what they are doing.

I am not trained and thus am not aware of the background...could it be Ayurvedic combined with Chinese acupressure? Someone who knows, please enlighten us with the history and background of this technique.

I am a very avid believer in Thai massage as therapy. A good practitioner usually can sense (when you offer some resistance, not scream!) when they reach the limits on the various extensions.

The joint popping of the toes and fingers, and the back manipulation, and neck cracking.....I find about 20% really know how to do this properly.

I've had 40 kg gals walk up and down my vertebrae with their knees, and do a perfect job.

And I've had some...ermmm...more substantial gals (not that I'm one to talk!) attempt the same maneuver- and cause me to gasp with pain....

All in all I will say that I love Thai massage, and all the other types of massage I have experienced elsewhere around the world are but a pale and insipid version.....

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Forgot to mention, I also get stiff neck and shoulders, and take Kava Kava to help relax the muscles, as it is more effective than prescription meds, yet herbal. Check it out.

Be careful. In Europe it is banned because a lot of Kava Kava users got liver damage.

It might be herbal, but it doesn't mean it can't hurt you...!

Take care.

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All in all I will say that I love Thai massage, and all the other types of massage I have experienced elsewhere around the world are but a pale and insipid version.....

Try Shiatsu massage from a Japanese master. You feel like you are floating on air for days afterwards! :o

Edited by Ulysses G.
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Hey all,

had a Thai massage yesterday, in which I was streched, yanked, pressed and prodded. Same as usual - bit painful at the time - but more so as I really don't think the girl knew what she was doing...

She seemed to think that the more pressure she applied the better...

...to the extent that I thought she was gonna pull the skin and muscles away from my spine. She actually tried to yank my fingers out of their sockets too - the joints refused to click, and she wasn't gonna give up until they did...!

I'd told her that I have a stiff neck. This just meant that she applied even more pressure... I told her it was painful, and she just giggled and continued on.

I went to a nice spa for this - torture!

I wonder what damage these girl could do (if someone has muscles imbalances, or existing weaknesses - which so many of us have these days, what with sitting at desks, and not getting enough exercise and such) with one of these 'treatments'.

Are there any 'experts' on Thai massage here, perhaps students studying it, who have info...

Does it address stiff necks / muscles imbalances and the like?

Do they adjust what they are doing to work on specific areas (like knots) as a trained Sweedish massuese would do?

Or is it just 'one massage suits all'?

Are they 'trained' (I use the word very loosely) to spot problems - alignement issues / lumps / muscle imbalances?

If anyone has any training or knowledge of Thai massage, I'd be interested to find out what exactly the 'science' is behind a GOOD Thai massage.

I assume it was a system developed years ago, with anatomy and physiology in mind, but does anyone know how it works, and the effectiveness of it?

It doesn't seem to address relaxing the mind in any way. Switching off and entering a deep state of relaxation isn't the aim of it in the same way that Western traditional massages do.

Did it begin in Thailand, or does it have links to Chinese medicine as it uses a pressure point system?

Is there only one method?

Rather than an oil massage (of which I've had soooooo many bad ones in Thailand) I thought Thai massueses would at least be able to give a good Thai massage! It got me thinking of the young Aussie girl who ended up being unable to move from her neck down a couple of days later. Seriously disabled by an untrained massuese. If it can happen in Oz then I'm sure it must also happen here... a lot!

Does anyone know any stories of people suffering as a result of a 'bad' massage?

If massueses here are not licensed and there doesn't seem to be any national accreditation system either, I guess you always run the risk... how is one to tell who is a good masseuse?

Is Wat Po training all it's cracked up to be?

The comments that you make in your opening para's are one of the reasons that you will never "ever" see me getting a thai massage.

These people would be better suited working in a S & M joint (no I have never been in on) They all profess to know what should be done when the majority know absolute <deleted> about Thai traditional massage.

They do much more damage than they ever cure.

Even when you go to get your hair cut they think that your neck should be able to bend in all unnatural directions (as a follow up to the hair cut)

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All in all I will say that I love Thai massage, and all the other types of massage I have experienced elsewhere around the world are but a pale and insipid version.....

Try Shiatsu massage from a Japanese master. You feel like you are floating on air for days afterwards! :D

But we have to go to Japan for one of these. 'don't we' ? :o

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Also beware that nonsense where they stop the blood in your upper leg. I always tell them to stop that.

As for Kava I took it for a couple of years for anxiety. It was definitely efficacious for a while.....helped with panic attacks but not dozy making. After time I did not notice it's effects and gradually stopped.

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the next time instead of a fancy spa with no-experience poorly paid workers, go the the old therapist (no, they don't work in spas).

good training is 800h, but even after a basic 30h course and experience, with no anathomy and physiology, a sensitive and intuitive therapist can give a briliant treatment.

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All in all I will say that I love Thai massage, and all the other types of massage I have experienced elsewhere around the world are but a pale and insipid version.....

Try Shiatsu massage from a Japanese master. You feel like you are floating on air for days afterwards! :D

But we have to go to Japan for one of these. 'don't we' ? :o

I used to go in San Francisco and Bangkok has some decent places (with a local, no master) , but I am responding to what you said about massages all over the world.

Edited by Ulysses G.
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thai massage is a few hundred years old, shiatsu originates from thai and in only 50 years old.

treatment from the master is a treatment from the master - no matter what therapy

No doubt that is what some Thai teachers claim but far off from reality. Shiatsu was independently developed in Japan about 100 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiatsu

That aside the Thai Sen lines and Shiatsu meridians are alike and for comparison purposes the two techniques are similar. The Sen lines or the Shiatsu meridians came many many centuries after the chinese developed TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and acupuncture. So if anything both these styles ripped off the chinese method. Nothing wrong with that and it doesn't mean anything is better or worse if "invented here". Just bragging rights I suppose.

Thailand also claims Muay Thai was invented by the Thai's but many would contend it was just copied from the Khymers.

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