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THAI MASSAGE

ABOUT THAI TRADITIONAL MASSAGE. A good massage should make you feel refreshed and energized , as blood circulation is stimulated and tension points relaxed . While most forms of massage that Westerners are familiar with tend to manipulate flesh to relieve tension , Thai massage is based on the idea that most problems with the flesh and the mind are caused by the blocking of energy as it flows though the body . The treatment is aimed at relieving these blockage points in order to restore  equilibrium . It is a very strange sensation  - a kind of pleasant abuse with the massage therapist using her feet , elbows and knees as well as her hands for the workout. The recipient also finds their limbs being manipulated in strange positions . There is a massage therapist on every beach where there are overseas visitors . A massage should last 1 or 2 hours. In Chiang Mai there are several schools that teach these techniques .

Thai Massage has its roots in the ancient medicine of Indian Ayurvedic practice. The influence of Yoga is also present in the body positions and the stretching movements that are part of Thai Massage. These are largely the same roots from which traditional Chinese medicine also emerged and one can see similarities in the acupressure points and energy lines on a Thai Massage body chart. Thai Massage, however, does not pretend to be anything like Chinese Acupressure or Chinese Acupuncture. It is a different science. The original precepts of Ancient Thai Massage were recorded in the Pali language of early Buddhist texts. The original practitioners were Buddhist monks in northern India in the 2nd and Ist centuries B.C. Prior to modern times in Thailand, the Wats (Buddhist temples) served as Thailand's predominant centers of education, healing and social life. While today some of the Buddhist temples in Thailand and in Laos still maintain the practice of monks and nuns administering Ancient Thai Massage, it is now generally practiced at Thai Massage centers or institutes which also teach the art.

Pay attention : the traditional Thai massage is completely different from the popular sexy Thai massage practiced in the Thailand's red light districts .