What is Traditional Thai Massage

It may surprise you to learn that Traditional Thai Massage (known in its native tongue as “Nuad Boran”) is not actually a form of massage at all, per se, but rather an ancient system of working with energy, and more specifically energies that influence the health and wellness of the body.

Traditional Thai Massage incorporates reflexology, acupressure, and assisted yoga postures, among other beneficial techniques. Both recipient and practitioner remain clothed throughout the experience. The session is conducted not on a massage table but rather on a mat on the floor. No oils or lotions are used.

And rather than rubbing, kneading, and applying pressure to the muscles, the Traditional Thai Massage practitioner uses various parts of his own body (palms, thumbs, forearms, elbows, feet, and knees) to gently and rhythmically pull, rock, stretch and compress, and otherwise create space and movement in the body. Practiced properly, Traditional Thai Massage should never be painful to experience.

As such, a common way that Traditional Thai Massage is described, by practitioner and recipient alike, is as “dancing” the person’s body.

This serves to open up joints, stretch out muscles and tendons, tone internal organs, and clear blocked energy. The ultimate goal and end result of a Traditional Thai Massage, then, is to improve and enhance total health and wellness by relieving tension and balancing the energy systems in and of the body.

After receiving a Traditional Thai Massage most people report experiencing a deep sense of relaxation and rejuvenation, coupled with an overall state of mental and physical well-being.

The healing practice of Traditional Thai Massage is more than 2,500 years old, having evolved in Thailand based on principles in some ways similar to those of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda, and other ancient healing practices of the East. And just like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine are  recognized and respected as valid medical disciplines in their respective countries, so is Traditional Thai Massage recognized as a valid and respected medical discipline of Thailand—despite that Westerners may consider all of these as “alternative therapies”. In fact, Traditional Thai Massage, like TCM and Ayurveda, has been used for thousands of years to treat an array of disorders and diseases.

Akin to the energy “meridians” utilized in Chinese Medicine or the “nadis” observed in Indian Ayurveda, practitioners of Traditional Thai Massage work with “sen”—both names referring to invisible pathways in the body throughout which energy flows. However, the particular energy lines themselves actually differ between the systems.

Traditional Thai Massage has been found particularly beneficial in treating arthritis, migraines (and headaches in general), sciatica and back pain, whiplash pain, and numbness and paralysis, though it is also quite helpful in healing from many other conditions, as well as restoring and maintaining general overall health and wellness.

As a recipient, getting the most out of a Traditional Thai Massage is a simple matter of breathing deeply and remaining as relaxed and receptive as you can be.

Ravenswood Chiropractic Center located in Andersonville, Chicago provides traditional Thai Massage by Professional Thai Massage Therapists. Call us at 773-878-7330 for an appointment.