Our First Thai Massage

After rock climbing on Friday, Brandon and I decided it was time for our first Thai massage. It was actually going to be my first massage experience ever, Thai or otherwise. I know, kind of ironic, considering I am a manual physical therapist who uses a lot of deep tissue techniques.  But, for various reasons such as time, cost, personal bubble, etc, this was my first massage. 

There are a billion massage places to choose from in Chiang Mai. They range from cheap places just off the street to expensive spas. We had heard a lot about the massages from the Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution. Yes, it's women prisoners giving massages. Initially, that may sounds sketchy. However you might change your mind when you learn the following. Training these women in massage skills helps them find a legal, sustainable vocation when released. The women also earn and keep some of the money made from the massages to cover expenses for themselves when they leave the correctional institution. 

The director of the Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution has helped open three ex-prisoner massage centers as well, further assisting employment of women. Brandon and I decided to visit one of these for our first Thai massage. 

Women's Ex-Prisoners Massage Center that we visited

When we arrived at the massage center we chose the hour long Traditional Thai massage from the list and paid 200 baht ($6 USD) each. There was no wait, so the massage process began immediately. We took off our shoes and walked over to an area near the reception desk with floor sinks. One of the Thai women washed and dried our feet and gave us sandals to slip into. 

My feet are clean and ready for massage

We then headed into the back room for the massage. The room was large with about twelve simple massage beds, six on each side of the room. The lights were dimmed and there was soft, relaxing music playing. We were led to a curtained area at the end of the room first. There we were provided with a loose, lightweight shirt and pants to change into. After changing we re-entered the back room with our belongings and were led to the massage beds. 

Brandon in his massage attire

The massage started with lying on our backs, then stomach, and finally sitting. I was surprised by how interactive the massage was. It was not just a static massage. We did not have to do anything except stay relaxed, but our masseuses moved our bodies in all sorts of stretches as they massaged. It was like getting a stretching exercise routine in without doing any of the work. The hip abductors were stretched as they worked on the abductors. The hip adductors were stretched as they worked on the adductors. Same for the bicep and tricep. I found this process very interesting with my physical therapy mindset. 

An internet example of some of the interactive stretching 

The only stretch I did not enjoy was for the abdominals and chest. I was positioned on my stomach and the masseuse sat on my legs and clasped my arms in hers and pulled me up into a highly extended back position. I just do not like being in that much back extension. Brandon was not fond of that one either. 

An example of the uncomfortable stretch

Most of the time I kept my eyes closed and relaxed. Occasionally, I could not resist sneaking peeks at the body mechanics of the masseuses. Body mechanics is something that was preached to us all throughout physical therapy school and is so important to the therapist's health and longevity of a career. The massage beds were low and not adjustable, so that did not assist with body mechanics. However, the women used their bodies to facilitate the massage. For example, my hamstrings were massaged by my masseuse sitting between my legs, holding one of my legs as a lever, and bending and unbending my knee while kneading her feet into my hamstring. No kidding! She would also sit on one leg to push it into a stretch while working on the other leg in her lap. And, to open up my midback, she locked arms with me in a sitting position and bent me back over her knee to put pressure on each vertebrae. Thankfully, none of this felt awkward. It actually felt really beneficial and holistic to have my body stretched and massaged at the same time. 

Here is the hamstring kneading position

Example of interactive body mechanics for mobilization of the midback

Before the massage, the left side of my neck was bothering me from rock climbing and carrying our gear the day before. I have to admit that the Thai massage did not do much for it, since the focus was on the whole body, not just a few tight spots.  However, my masseuse spent more time on my tight midback and Brandon's spent more time on his legs which are traditionally more tight for him. So, there was some emphasis put on more restricted areas. I can easily go to another massage place and instead of a Thai massage have a head, neck, and shoulder massage. 

After our massages, we thanked the women, changed back into our clothes, and headed up to the front to leave. At the reception desk we were surprised by two cups of hot tea waiting for us. It was indicated that we should sit down and drink the tea before leaving. So, we did. It was hot and sweet. Not something you would want on the hot day we were having. But, I suppose any hydration is good on a hot day. 

With our tea finished we walked home comparing notes about our Thai massage experience and ready to try another one in the future.