Tag: traditional thai massage

but definitely not as loose as I thought.

I experienced my first Traditional Thai Massage the other day.  Someone dropped a  gift certificate in the mailbox for a complimentary half hour back & shoulder massage from somebody named Nok who is a professional masseuse & works/lives in my neighbourhood.  There was no address only a phone number which seemed suspicious but nonetheless – free massage…let’s go for it.

Turns out Nok (who is Thai and a certified Massage & Spa Practitioner) gave up her storefront to go back to Thailand for a year, and recently back in Vancouver, has decided to try working out of a home studio.  I left details behind just in case I happened to become a casualty.  You never know – been watching a lot of scary movies lately.

There’s nothing better than a relaxing massage!  The ones I’ve had in the past mostly from Absolute Spa (at the Century Plaza Hotel) were a treat.  I experienced a hot stone massage once in Jamaica but one stone was left on a bit too long & so I got burned.  But I’m feeling psyched &  fortunate to take advantage of this new (to me) approach.  So there I am being greeted by a very polite, pretty and tiny Thai girl who describes all the benefits I’ll be receiving and SOME HISTORY:

Thai Massage is an ancient form of body work originally developed by Buddhist monks in Thailand as a healing modality 2,500 years ago.  The technique involves passive stretching and gently pressure along the body’s energy lines to increase flexibility, relieve muscle and joint tension and balance the body’s energy systems.  It draws from acupressure, passive yoga therapy, and reflexology.               It sounds amazing.

 I’m asked to first fill out a form – like being at a doctor’s office.  One question wants to know if you are here for a relaxation or therapeutic treatment.  I tick the box that says relaxation of course – nothing is wrong with me.  Then I lay face down on a typical massage table while she goes to work on me – and when I say work, I mean WORK.  She’s little but she hurts.  I ask if she understood which box I checked off and she explains that she’s only using her fingers and bit of elbow but in her usual massage she used her whole body weight.  I’m almost crying.  Apparently in typical Thai massage they don’t usually use oil although they will if you insist.  But I’m putting up with it because I don’t want to seem like a sissy….plus when she takes her hands off me for a split second to go to some other area, the part she previously worked on feels so much better.  I wouldn’t consider this a relaxation massage – and she swore she wasn’t even using that much pressure.  Seems I have some blockage issues due to spending too much time at the computer lately working on my websites & this blog.

The half hour goes by pretty quickly (although not quickly enough) and I admit it was a relief when the time was up.  But when it was over she asked me to sit up and then started to pound on my back.  If she wanted me to pay she should have stated that on the certificate.  I asked her how long I would feel the pain – maybe for 2 days at most. So that said, will I go back?

I did feel a lot looser afterwards.  The amazing health benefits of Thai massage (from her brochure) encompass the balancing of the mind, body and spirit, including reduce stress, stimulate circulation, energize the body, increase flexibility, improve range of motion (I am motionless right now), and centers the mind and body. 

Okay, I’ll book another appointment – next time a full body treatment – just for the punishment  fun of it.  I need to be more centered – we’ll see.  Plus I want to keep my day job. The new options on the brochure say that Nok is now qualified to offer Hot Stone Massage, Swedish Massage and even Deep Tissue Massage – wtf?

www.NoksThai Massage.com