What do Thai girls know?
For far Easteners massage is a part of everyday life, while here for the time being the expansion of this therapy is also marred by the high prices. Who and how often visit the various massage salons, and how much do they pay for the treatments? The massage overview of hvg.hu.
Massage techniques that can be found in various parts of the world are the most ancient therapies for physical and mental symptoms. In the East, medical use of massage has always been more valued than in the West, although “kneading” is popular all over the world nowadays, moreover we are talking about European massage as well. Basically Thai massage is different from western-style massages – like Swedish massage – in that while the latter treats the muscles and the body, in eastern cultures the emphasis is on the “free flow of energy channels”. The eastern ideology is energy based. They believe that energy is the source of everything. Vibration, matter is just a manifestation of this.
“Traditional Thai massage is based on the self-healing capability of the body, it’s a complex method enhancing physical, mental and spiritual harmony” – states traditional Thai masseuse Monika Karsai, who lived in Thailand for seven years. I had myself massaged every day, of course always at a different place; for Thai people nothing more natural than to care for their own body and prevent diseases with massage. I got acquainted with Buddhism earlier before, but it was the years spent in Thailand that brought real change in my life” tells Karsai, who already acquired every international certificate that could be found related to traditional Thai massage. She founded her massage salon that has been open for a few months now at Istenhegyi Pricate Clinic with the aim of creating a meeting point for eastern and western approaches, for one of the most ancient far Eastern healing traditions to meet with modern medical science.
According to traditional Eastern medicine the premise of health is the uninterrupted flow of vital energies (chi) in the energy channels of the body, its basic aim is to create harmony within the body. “It’s not the muscles, but he acupunctural points that are stimulated, with point pressure technique” – explains the masseuse. Due to individual capabilities and age everyone’s body reacts differently to massage, it can handle things to a different extent, and the masseuses take this into consideration.
After all this, I decided to try out one type of massage. The process that is used on the entire body has a unique coreography, during the one and a half – two hour massage the masseur went through all of my body parts, from my head to my toes. I was not only massaged with hands and palms, but also with their knees, soles and elbows, while the barely 40 kg Thai girl applied various bending and stretching techniques on me. Despite of the strong pressure, I was not covered by blue and green marks the next day. The massage directed at specific points of the body facilitates complete relaxation, due to the increased blood circulation the oxygen supply of the body improves, and as a result the body relaxes and refreshes, you feel better. The patient only needs to slacken and let the masseur work on him/ her.
The three Thai masseurs working at the salon are experienced in both styles – the softer one from the South, and the Eastern one that includes more chiropractic elements. “We have many recurring patients, whoever tries it once will almost for sure check-in for a next occasion” says Monika Karsai. Following treatments guests usually speak of demureness, feeling good, improved posture and resistance of their body.
“Three years ago I visited Monika Karsai with chronic sinusitis, and since then the symptoms almost completely disappeared, moreover, she healed my constantly recurring sports injuries as well; I recharge with energies both physically and mentally” – says one of the patients. According to the therapist with regular massage the greatest changes can be achieved in case of musculoskeletal disorders, muscular dystrophy, as well as short-term paralytic conditions. It’s also recommended for lymphatic and digestive system, gynecological and respiratory system related diseases; experience shows that it’s great medicine for sleep disorders and stress, as well as for treating headache and migraine. But you don’t have to suffer from any problems to visit masseurs. It can be applied with refreshment or conditioning purpose as well, to replace lack of exercise or to decrease tiredness.
Show your sole!
“It’s usually people who have already been to Thailand or have come in contact with this culture who visit me” – says Karsai –, who instantly explains the reason why prices often climb well above HUF 10000. They only use oils, herbs and teas imported from Thailand. (Just like the other patients, we also got a big cup of tea upon arrival, as they are convinced that you can never drink enough liquids.) Thai girls can be convinced to come to Hungary only for a few years. Karsai takes care of their accommodation as well.
- They are extremely mistrustful, Hungary has a bad reputation in their circles, there have been abuses, instead of the traditional Thai massage, their employer wanted them to apply sex massage – Karsai complains. Otherwise it’s quite easy to differentiate between massage salons offering sex massage and the traditional ones: in the first one the full body images of the girls are put at the entrance already.
Foot diagnostics
One of the best methods to detect diseases is foot massage. The sensory nerves of the internal organs stretch through the entire body, and several of them are linked to other organs. Almost all sensory nerves originate from the soles. Foot massage stimulates and properly prompts the activities and interactions of internal organs. It balances the smooth operation of the blood and lymphatic circulation, improves the level of fitness and endurance. It develops and improves the immunity of the body, detoxifies, rejuvenates and helps a long life. The masseur uses his/her hands, fingers and special wooden sticks with cream and oil.
Thai massage serves as a method of diagnostics as well. “If during the treatment the suspicion of any organic disorder or disease arises, we send the patient to a doctor. Most recently we managed to find a gynecological problem at one of our patients: the masseur warned her to visit a doctor: it turned out that it was a sexually transferable Chlamydia infection. But we also had a patient who could not conceive for years before she came for massage therapy, and now she is a happy mom” – Monika shares her positive experiences.
Ill people usually visit the masseur upon recommendation of a doctor. “The relevance of Thai massage is enormous in detoxification, improving the health and mood of inpatients, the healing of musculoskeletal disorders as well as rehabilitation” – said Edit Racz, Anesthesia Chief Medical Officer at Peterfy Sandor Hospital and pain-therapist, who had a great influence on Monika Karsai. She regards her as her main mentor ever since. According to Racz, in addition to its general beneficial effect that is recommended for everyone, it’s also worth trying the traditional Thai therapy when it comes to patients suffering from musculoskeletal complaints, articular problems, rheumatic diseases, back pain, lower back pain or spinal deformities.
“Thai massage combines the two therapies that grew out of Western cultures, lymphatic massage, that detoxifies the body, and refreshing massage, that provides wellbeing. It owes it’s relaxing effect to this: it gives the body what it needs” – says therapeutic masseur Agnes Baranyi, who also spent several years is Thailand. She is convinced that a European can master the touches of Thai massage as well. “Just because someone is far Eastern, it is not certain that s/he massages well. We also have to consider the features of our climate, for example it’s worth selecting herbs used for massage from among herbs that can be found locally, we don’t necessarily insist on using substances imported from Thailand” – adds the therapeutic masseur, somewhat in contrary to what Karsai said.
Ayurveda: Indian medicine
“The skin is our largest organ, the neural pathways run underneath it, so every treatment that is applied to the skin has an effect on the nervous system, and by this, on our organs” – Zsuzsanna Janics, who is the owner of a center offering Ayurvedic massages briefly summarizes essence of massage.
Ayurveda: the healing oil
Ayurveda is an Indian therapy that various types of massage are part of. Its aim is to create the harmony of body, mind and soul. As Zsuzsanna leads us through her newly opened salon, she tells us what a treatment looks like. “We try to create a personal relationship with the patients who come to us, before the treatments there is a test, in which we examine external and internal features, spiritual, mental and physical condition, and based on this we can recommend a personalized treatment. We use original Indian oils for the massages, according to the current state of the patient’s being, as well his/ her skin type” – says the owner of the center.
By a special series of movements the warm oil penetrates deeply, which causes extensive detoxification and as a consequence it can reduce the pain caused by inflammatory joint diseases. Several of its effects are known: it relaxes, and by this reduces tension, it strengthens the immune system, it improves the flexibility of the joints, and moreover it is great for treating certain chronic diseases as well. It has a significant cosmetic effect as well: it improves the condition of the skin, it detoxifies, it stimulates the lymph and blood circulation – Janicsek praises her merchandise.
“The mentality needs to be changed, massage is not something fancy, our body requires these touches; lack of time cannot be an excuse, an illness takes much more time and energy, not to mention the pain and the problems” – Zsuzsanna Janicsek composes. She believes, since keeping our health is the main aim, a treatment every month or two is more than enough. It’s the regularity that matters.
Most people are probably not kept away from massage salons by the lack of time, but by the prices as well: depending on the type and length, Ayurvedic massage can cost up to HUF 6-14000. “It’s unlikely that massages will become cheaper, since we have plenty of costs: during these treatments the patients are literally soaking in oil – often one and a half/ two deciliters are used –, and there are types of massage that are simultaneously done by two masseurs for almost two hours, all these have a price” – the owner states.
The European line: Swedish massage
When we are talking about European massage, we mean the Swedish type, refreshing massage. The method was developed by a Swedish fencing master. In the beginning it was used to prepare the athletes. Nowadays it’s difficult to draw the line between therapeutic massage and Swedish massage.
Smoothing out the muscles
“Stress, bad posture and sitting work cause the muscles to stick to the bones. The essence of Swedish massage is to loosen up these muscles; the head and the shoulders are the two main strike lines, but it covers the entire body, with the kneading and loosening motions we focus on the muscle groups” – therapeutic masseur Andrea Illyes told hvg.hu.
These movements are not always enjoyable for the patients – I declare we are not talking about stoking motions like in case of a relaxing massage –, it sometimes comes with great pain – this instantly becomes clear as they begin taking care of my tense neck and shoulder muscles, demonstrating the strong effect kneading motions have on stuck muscle groups, which is great for treating headache, neck pain or spinal pain.
It’s not necessary to get naked for Swedish massage, but there is a version of it with massage oils and massage creams – these are sometimes mixed by the masseur. This can be made complete with honey, lava stone or aromatic massage treatments. According to Illyes, in case of relaxing massages some kind of essential oil is always used, that unfold their effect in several ways: they are absorbed through the skin, and in addition the patient also inhales them, what calms and relaxes him/ her.