Why do people get a Thai Massage? At first glance, the answer seems pretty simple. They want to relax and feel better. However, when we look at the question a little closer, there are actually quite a few very different reasons why people go to a Thai Massage therapist.
And for us as providers, it is important to understand all those reasons, because they may require different interactions with our clients.
1. Relaxation
This first reason comes to mind for most of us. People want to relax, feel good, and pamper themselves, even if there is nothing wrong with them.
That’s how most spas make their money. They cater to people who love some luxury and indulgence in a beautiful and relaxing environment.
2. Stress relief
At this point, there is a problem to deal with – stress. Massage can be one of the best ways to relieve this.
The fact is that Thai Massage can be amazingly effective when it comes to relieving stress.
Not only does it work very well but there are also no potentially negative side effects as with pharmaceutical solutions.
3. Improving a condition with Thai Massage
People who suffer from stiffness and pain can often get significant benefits from Thai Massage.
In most cases, a stiff neck is better treated with a good massage than with muscle relaxants.
Some modalities like Thai Massage are especially effective when it comes to dealing with stiffness and limited range of motion since they incorporate stretching into the therapy.
4. Social interaction
I live in Thailand. Here Thai Massage is often done in a very public setting.
This is possible since it is mostly done fully dressed. Especially foot massage lends itself to social interaction.
Clients sit in recliners and they often engage in conversation with their therapists, or they chat with friends or make new ones just by talking to people who sit next to them.
Thai Foot Massage is often done in very public places like busy markets or at a mall entrance. Many people enjoy doing some people-watching while getting their foot massage or just watching the world go by.
Personally, I have met quite a few nice people while getting my Thai Foot Massage sessions. This scenario is more common in Asia whereas in the Western world, massage tends to be a more private affair.
5 Leisure activity
Many people spend most of their free time looking at a TV screen or a computer monitor.
Especially here in Thailand where massage is much more affordable compared to Western countries, a visit to a massage shop can be a great way to get away from the routine.
Plus, there is no doubt that this is a much healthier alternative to hitting a bar for a drink, for example.
6. Human interaction
There are people who really want to talk to someone who is not involved in their life, who doesn’t know them, and who has no opinion about their situation. Sometimes this can put Thai Massage therapists in the involuntary role of being unpaid (and unqualified) psychologists.
However, it can be a great relief for the client if someone is compassionately listening to them and offering some positive comments without getting into specific counseling.
I always remember the case of a client of mine who had been brutally gang-raped and was really traumatized. It had affected her social life badly. During my Thai Massage sessions, she felt safe and trusted me, and she spent most of the time talking to me.
For her, this was exactly what she wanted and needed. Preventing her from doing so would have been highly insensitive and counterproductive on my part.
She was a very satisfied long-term client. It worked for her, and all I had to do was make her feel safe, supported, and heard. I can do that, even if it is not exactly part of my job description as a massage therapist.
Another case from a different perspective is a program that was developed by the women’s prison here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The prison had built a massage shop right outside the prison gates, and it was frequented by many customers. (closed now because the prison was moved)
Some inmates, mostly soon-to-be-released non-violent drug offenders, were trained as massage therapists. It gave them the chance to get out of the prison during the day and interact with massage clients.
Naturally, they were eager to talk to someone besides their fellow prisoners. It was a big relief valve for them to balance out their unpleasant situation in prison, and it provided them with an education that they could use to make a living once they were released.
I know of one inmate who, after serving her sentence, ended up marrying her client whom she had worked on regularly in the prison’s massage shop. You just never know what can happen!
7. Thai Massage and dealing with a serious health issue
I know – massage therapists cannot claim to cure anything. But often regular Thai Massage treatments can have a very beneficial effect on some serious and chronic diseases. I have had many clients who can attest to this fact.
We also have to remember that Thai Massage has been used in Thailand as an important way to improve people’s health since many hundreds of years.
Thai Massage is one of the ways how the Thais are dealing with health issues. It is not just a way to relax and pamper yourself.
To this day here in Thailand pretty much every village has a resident Thai Massage therapist.
He or she works on people who have problems. They do this in conditions that are very different from luxurious spa settings, meaning extremely simple, like a straw mat on the floor.
The wide availability of massage as a luxury to pamper yourself is a fairly recent phenomenon. Thai Massage did not grow out of this environment, but out of a need for healing.
8. Health maintenance with Thai Massage
The health benefits of massage have been amply documented nowadays. Many people realize that a regular routine of massage sessions can play an important role in maintaining their health.
This applies especially to Thai Massage which is a therapeutic modality by its very nature.
Some obvious examples are professional athletes or dancers. But even people who work on computers all day long can counteract potentially serious trouble with hands, shoulders, neck, and back through regular Thai Massage sessions.
One of my personal favorites is getting a neck and shoulder massage from my co-rider during a long-distance motorbike trip. Hanging on to those handlebars can really cause bad neck pain, and some massage can change the experience from painful to enjoyable.
9. Thai Massage Education
Even the best massage therapists can add new skills to their repertoire by experiencing sessions from other qualified professionals, or learn new ways or modifications that can help them in their work.
10. Experience and feeling
This one applies to the countless Thai Massage therapists who treat their clients all day long. It is a well-known fact in the profession that therapists need to get regular massages themselves.
They need to feel what it is that they are doing to others and become inspired and motivated to grow and take their work to new levels. Otherwise, they are like cooks who never taste any of their preparations.
11. The enjoyment of Thai Massage
Thai Massage can feel truly heavenly. A good session can change your energy in such a way that you feel like walking on clouds afterwards.
Some non-physical symptoms can be that your mind clears up, your thoughts turn positive, your happiness level increases, and you feel light and energized.
12. Letting go during a Thai Massage session
For many people, especially in cultures (like Thailand) where touching is less acceptable, Thai Massage can be their only way to allow themselves to be touched, drop their cultural restrictions for a while, and just let go.
This can also be very beneficial for people who are compulsive givers, and who feel that they have to take care of everyone else.
Thai Massage can be an important way for them to turn the tables and just receive without having to or even being able to give back. It can be an important way to replenish their energy by just letting go and receiving.
Thai Healing Massage Academy provides a wide range of online training programs that teach you the art of Thai Massage in a convenient and cost-effective way.
Besides advanced in-depth training in all the techniques, these courses address many other areas:
You can take our programs for a test drive by subscribing to our free introductory Thai Massage series or, if you are serious about learning it, visit our training library:
The author, Shama Kern, is the founder of Thai Healing Massage Academy. He has been practicing and teaching Thai Massage for over two decades, and he is the creator of 20 Thai Massage online training courses.