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Experience Thai-Style Natural Healing
Thai-Style Natural Healing
A massage to restore balance among the elements. A herbal sauna to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. A herbal pack
to calm nerves and redirect the energy. All this may sound very New Age in the West, but it has been part of daily
life here for centuries.
Before the arrival of modern medicine, herbalists filled the dual role of doctor-pharmacist. Originally, village
doctors were monks or former monks, since Buddhist temples were the center of learning, not only of religion but of
more worldly matters like astrology and medicine as well.
Thai traditional medicine holds that the body has four elements: wind, water, earth and fire, and ill health results
from an imbalance between them. To remedy an ailment, the village "doctor" would make a herbal pack for the patient
to ingest, rub onto the skin, or add to a steam compress. Another major component of traditional medicine is energy.
When the energy lines are blocked, the individual will become ill, physically or emotionally. A massage or sauna
would be prescribed.
Experience Thai Massage
Thai Massage
Traditional Thai massage is a proven physical therapy that dates back to ancient India sometime before the lifetime
of Buddha. It has been practiced here for centuries, and many swear by it as effective cure for common ailments
such as aches and pains, fevers and nervous strains.
Traditional massage reached the peak of popularity in the early 18th century. King Rama III, great-grandfather
of the present monarch, had all available knowledge on the subject gathered and inscribed on stone slabs. These
now stand on a corner of the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), along with stone figures of rishis demonstrating
various massage postures. You can try this ancient therapy in its original form at the temple; masseuses trained at
Wat Pho massage school offer their service seven days a week at very reasonable prices.
Most hotels rated three stars and above offer traditional massage as part of their health and fitness services.
All the spa resorts include it in their therapy programs. Despite common misconceptions, clothes stay on the whole time.
If you are interested in learning the techniques, Wat Pho’s massage school offers a 10-day course that costs 6,000 baht.
Contact the school, in the temple’s compounds, Chetupon Road.
Thai-Style Herbal Therapies
Herbal Therapies
Herbal sauna is no newcomer to Thailand. For many centuries people with just about any kind of affliction would visit a
sauna, where herbal packs formulated just for the ailment would be added to a water heater. The resulting steam would be
absorbed both through the nose and the skin. The heat also sweated out toxins and cleansed the pores. As recently as the
beginning of this century, hundreds of these saunas existed in Thailand, but with the arrival of modern medicine most of
these went out of business. But even today, home-made herbal sauna - along with a diet regimen packed with herbs is the
post-natal therapy Thai women, especially those living in the countryside still swear by. Herbs also dominated Thai women’s
beauty and skincare regimens. Sour tamarind worked wonders as a body scrub, for example, while crushed turmeric would be
rubbed onto the skin to keep it soft and smooth. With the recent revival in holistic therapies,
indigenous herbs are being discovered anew for their health and beauty benefits.
Natural Healing Facilities
Herbs also dominated Thai women’s beauty and skincare regimens. Sour tamarind worked wonders as a body scrub, for example,
while crushed turmeric would be rubbed onto the skin to keep it soft and smooth. With the recent revival in holistic
therapies, indigenous herbs are being discovered anew for their health and beauty benefits.
Modern SPA Experience
Modern SPA Experience
Spa treatments are now such a rage that it’s easy to forget that as recently as six years ago there was no spa facility here.
Soon after the opening of Banyan Tree Spa Phuket in 1987, Thailand started to gain a reputation as a new spa destination. The country
now has five spas that are attracting new groups of visitors, some of whom planning their trips as pure spa vacation.
Health Centers and Spas
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