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Experience 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 bee n
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.
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Experience 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, or
call (662) 225-4771.
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Thai-Style 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.
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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.
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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.
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Health Centers & Spas |
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