Answer to the most common questions to: The True Thai massage
What is it? Is it an erotic massage or has nothing to do with it? What am I going to find in Thailand? Is it as far as Spain? Is it advisable? Thai massage hurts? If I go to Thailand, where do I go?
These are the questions to the true thai massage that people usually ask about Thai massage. And we will try to solve all your doubts:
1. First there is the famous concept that Thai massage is erotic. NO! Nothing to see! Although Spain is a country where normally (although less and less) there are only three definitions of massage: Erotic/physio or similar/SPA and beauty; it is difficult to understand the concept of authentic Thai massage. So you usually have the in the head a eroticized idea of the Thai woman doing poses above us. The truth part about all this is that there are some strange positions, and that the masseur manipulates the client to his whim to stretch up his eyelashes (;) a little joke).
2. It is done by both men and women, but at all times you have great respect for the intimate areas of the client, the masseur offers an elegant posture throughout the massage and is made fully clothed (one of the great commandments of authentic Thai massage).
3. Then there is a version of the massage that is done with oil, herbal brushes or with feet… There obviously is made without clothes for the use of oil, but with the same respect. You’re only gonna find an erotic massage if you walk into some whorehouse or something.
4. The authentic Thai massage Nuad Boran or the old way is more linked to temples, families and tribes, where it has been conceived as a method of healing and health.
And what is it then?
It is a way of life, another concept of health. Where there are not only painful body parts because yes and in isolation. The body is seen as a whole, as a physical-psychic gear where a discomfort or pain, comes from a situation and will influence your entire body. A holistic vision of the human being, in short. In addition, the Thai not only comes for a massage when it hurts something like we usually do here, goes in a regular way, avoids discomfort with anticipation and has it integrated into your daily life, even in your family routine.
Thailand street offers thai massage
Children learn Thai massage at school and at home. The whole family shares it in their leisure time. And for greater effectiveness, on the return of work they always stop to give a good foot massage, head or full to remove all the stress accumulated from the day’s work and help your body to recover.
Something as normal in Thai people as here to drink a beer… is not as mystical as we believe in Europe, because it has a daily character and often has a neighborhood hairdressing air, although it does have roots in religion, meditation, tribal healing… surprising.
Thai massage in the park
Where can I get a massage in Thailand?
In Thailand you can practically get a massage wherever you want. There are even machines that give you foot massage at bus stations.
Even at the airport! But the most popular ones are the ones we’ll show you below. You can go to SPA and Beauty centers, where you will find a great massage menu to choose from and treat you to luxury. It is usually for foreign audiences who can afford it.
Thai massage in the airport
But if you can afford it, it is highly recommended. You seem to enter another world, with the most careful Thai style and design. You will feel like a prince/princess, but it is not the most authentic.
The second option is the smallest massage centers.
They are usually familiar and treat you as such. Although some of them may depend on the area, being a foreigner, they try to sell you everything they can and make the most of it. But it’s normal, they live off tourism. Apart from that, the public is equal parts Thai and foreigners, and they take care of you just as well: they wash your feet when you enter, give you clothes to change, offer you a tea…
The third option is the institutions that have been created to integrate certain collectives into society through massage.
The best one known is the Chiang Mai School of Massage for the Blind (one of the most famous for the quality of its massages) and that of women ex-prisoners also in Chiang Mai.
The fourth option, also very popular among Thai people, is the temples. There are many that offer massage for their maintenance. And it is also the cradle of massage. Highly recommended.
And finally, but the most popular:
Flea markets! Thai’s nightlife takes place at the flea markets, and the tourist, in love, too. There you’re gonna find almost equal shares of food and massage stands. Large rows of deck chairs and a lot of willingness to work is all you need. The advice you ask the price before, although it is usually more or less the same in all and Thailand is not much of a country to cheat. Ideal foot massage after a day of sightseeing, you will float out.
Thai foot massage at the flea markets
Does the Thai massage hurt?
If you’ve never had a massage and go to Thailand to get one…. it will surely hurt. And not because Thai massage is painful, but because you carry a lot of tension in your body that you’re not aware of. So by pressing the lines, muscles, correct… movements you will notice pain. It also happens that some Thais find it very funny to see how rusty we are and squeeze a little more to see how you squeal and make faces. But be happy, the pain is tension coming out, and after the massage you will feel lighter and you will want to repeat. You see, if you give yourself more massages, it will hurt less and you will be more aware of when you overload your body.
And how can I learn Thai massage?
We’ll do another post to show you our recommendations. In general, if you want to learn Thai massage in a one-week course, as a hobby is fine, but as there is so much demand they usually do not pay attention to you until you do higher training. If you are interested in learning, talk to us and we can recommend the best schools. Travelling to Thailand is a great experience, take advantage of it and if you are interested in massage, experience it, massage everywhere and you will learn a lot. But if you don’t have more than a month to train, we recommend you look for other Thai massage schools in Spain. In many cases, you can validate it there and gain access to higher education in Thailand.