A Brief History of Thai Massage
According to popular myth…
The original founder of Thai massage was Chiwaka Komaraphat, over 2,500 years ago. He is said to have been a personal friend and one of the Buddha’s physicians in northern India, with ancient documents describing him as having extraordinary medical skills, with a wide knowledge of herbal medicines and treatments. Stories say he also worked with Buddhist monks and nuns known as the Sangha.
Chinese, Southeast Asian and Indian Influences
In reality, the history of Thai massage is a little more complex than this. Thai massage, like Thai traditional medicine more generally, is based on a fusion of influences from the Chinese, Southeast Asian and Indian cultures and traditions, as well as from the Muslim world, and the Thai massage practiced today is probably a 19th-century synthesis of different and varying healing traditions.
Following the Second World War, Thailand became a popular tourist destination, increasing interest in Thai massage techniques around the world. It began being practiced in Europe and the United States in the late 1980s.
Even today there is no single ‘Thai massage’ method; there is wide variation from region to region even within Thailand itself, and there is no single practice or theoretical framework which is accepted among all practitioners.
What can be said though, is that Thai massage is one of the four branches of traditional Thai medicine. Thai massage uses the body’s energy line system, known as Sen lines. The basic theory is that there are seventy-two thousand Sen lines (also called energy lines) that line the frame of the physical body. The Sen lines correspond with Chinese acupuncture meridians and the ancient practice of Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
What Makes Thai Massage Diffferent
Modern Thai massage is quite different from the other massage therapies that usually involve tissue manipulation. Thai Massage is a dry massage technique that does not involve any oils or lotions. Instead, it involves deep compressing, rhythmic pressing, and stretching actions, manipulating the body into a series of yoga-like poses, and sometimes may include the pulling of toes, fingers and ears. The massage is performed by the practitioner using different body parts such as palm, thumb, fingers, forearms, elbows or even feet.
It is the motion, pressure, tension, and vibration movements used during Thai massage that treats energy blockages, weak & dysfunctional organs, aches and pains, stress and tension, flexibility, nerve problems, postural alignments and improved lymph and blood circulation in the body.
Authentic and Traditional Thai Massage on Acton Hill in Acton, West London
Find out more about the different traditional Thai massage treatments we provide, or discover our special offers and authentic Thai massage discounts.
Thai Touch Therapy are open every day for Thai Massage from 11 am to 10 pm (last appointment 9.30pm)
Call us: 020 8752 0302
Or feel free to drop in and make an appointment in person at Thai Touch Therapy, 309 Uxbridge Road, Acton Hill, London W3 9QU.
