So what exactly is the big deal with Thai massage? As we mentioned before, this isn’t your typical Swedish-type massage where you lie semi-naked on a bed as someone kneads your muscle knots away.
The whole idea of this Thai tradition is to stretch the muscles to achieve relaxation, much as you would do when you do yoga. You won’t be naked, and you definitely won’t be on a bed.
Instead, the parlor will likely hand you a pair of loose and comfortable clothes, similar to loungewear. Or, in some places, you can wear your own, though it will have to be different from the street clothes you come in with, for the sake of cleanliness.
Once you’ve changed, you’ll go into a room with mats on the ground. Sometimes they are padded, but they can also be more simple bamboo mats. You’ll sit and wait for your practitioner to start positioning your body in different ways, targeting several areas of the body that need to be stretched.
Fair warning: You will have very little personal space. By nature of the practice, the therapist has to move your body, and to assist with the stretches, they’ll need to put their arms, hands and feet on you. They’ll also likely kneed specific pressure points in your body, particularly your feet and hands, which are the main reflexology areas.
You may experience some discomfort, and some positions will take some effort — you are getting stretched after all — but it shouldn’t be painful. A good practitioner will be able to tell your limits, but you can always communicate if you feel like it’s too much.
Once the massage is over, you’ll completely forget about any discomfort, as you’ll feel light, airy and thoroughly relaxed. Because you stretched all major areas of your body, it will be an overall feeling of wellness, rather than a relief of pain or stress in a single area of your back.
