“It (Thai massage) is so different from what we typically mean by “massage” that it is often instead described as having someone “do yoga to you”.  In fact, in Thailand, Thai massage has sometimes been called “yoga for lazy people.” -C. Pierce Salguero

What Is It?

Traditional Thai massage is also known as Thai yoga massage.  This unique, powerful, healing massage modality has been practiced in Thailand for centuries.  Thai massage combines acupressure, energy meridian work, and yoga-like stretching during each session.

There are primarily two different styles of Thai massage:
1) Northern Thai which is slow and calming.
2) Southern Thai which is fast and energetic.
I specialize in the Northern Thai style, because the typical American lifestyle is so fast-paced and stressful on our nervous system.  Depending on the client and his/her requests.  I can “speed-up” the pacing of the session.

I offer traditional Thai massage as a replacement for circulatory/Swedish/deep tissue whole body massages.

Who Does It Help?

As with most all massage modalities, Thai massage is a perfect complement to all exercise programs and is suitable for people of all ages and abilities.  Sessions are modified to the physical needs and requests of the client.  The most prominent benefits I have seen in clients receiving Thai massage are energy balancing, calming of the nervous system, the ability to find natural alignment more easily, increased range of motion and muscular strength, and the lessening of pain felt after the session was completed.

What To Expect From A Session

What makes Thai massage different from a typical massage session (like circulatory/Swedish massage/deep tissue) is that there is no oil used, the client and the practitioner are working from the floor on a foam mat, and the client remains completely clothed throughout the entire session.

Practitioners of Thai massage use their hands, elbows, knees, legs, and feet to move clients into yoga-like stretches, make contact with acupressure points, and address energy meridians (called sen lines).

Resources For Further Learning

Here is a great article about traditional Thai massage.

This picture gallery provides an excellent overview of what to know and what to expect prior to your traditional Thai massage session. These postures are fairly intense.  Depending on the flexibility of the client, I can do these postures, but mostly I do a modified form of the postures shown here.  Pictures 2, 6, and 11 are typical beginner poses for people who have not received Thai massages, have not participated in yoga classes, and/or do not have a full range of movement and flexibility.