Thai Herbal Compress Massage For Aches And Pains
Thai massage techniques vary from traditional massage styles in several ways due to our deeply rooted history in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic healing traditions.
Using herbs for aromatherapy, in teas or supplements, and to create compresses are all ways science and the healing arts merge to support health, well-being, and pain relief.
HEALTH NOTE: Always consult with your primary healthcare practitioner to ensure the use of Thai herbal compresses is safe and recommended for you. We are happy to provide a list of the herbs and powders we use for their review.
Herbs & Massage: Using Herbal Compresses To Relieve Pain And Discomfort
Herbs and other healing ingredients have been used in various forms for tens of thousands of years. In fact, many of the most common pharmaceutical drugs are still rooted in herbal wisdom, even if some of that has been converted to synthetic representations. Today, many healing arts continue historical herbal medicine traditions, appreciating their sustainable, gentle, and proven benefits—and the fact that there are exceptionally few (if any) adverse side effects.
When you experience a Thai massage for the first time, you’ll likely see rows of jars, packages, candles, massage tools, and more. Those jars are typically filled with fresh, dried herbs and ingredients that we use in various ways - including compresses to optimize our massage techniques.
How Herbal Compresses Can Enhance Thai Massages For Pain Relief
Before we discuss how to use compresses, let’s discuss how and why herbs are used.
First and foremost, the herbs we use for massage compresses are proven to reduce inflammation, which has the added benefit of relieving pain. Some herbs have a warming effect, so their presence on the skin can work similarly to a heating pad or a muscle relief cream with a warming or tingling effect. Others may have a slightly cooling effect, or their scent may be known to reduce anxiety, which promotes relaxation.
A licensed Thai massage therapist should always be eager and willing to share what we’re using—and why—so please feel free to ask us questions at any time. Again, your masseuse will customize which herbs, how much of each one, and how the compress will be used during the massage based on your specific pain point, medical history, and goals.
Here are some of the herbs Thai massage therapists use most often in our compresses, especially when we’re working with clients to reduce aches and pains or heal injuries. Some of them are familiar, and others may not be—but all have been used for thousands of years to support whole-body healing.
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Lime leaves
- Turmeric
- Eucalyptus leaves
- Lemon
- Rosemary
- Tamarind leaves
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Cryptolepis Buchanani Powder
- Camphor
- Zingiber Cassumunar Root
- And more
To create a compress, a personalized combination of herbs, leaves, and other ingredients is bundled together in a cloth or pouch. This pouch is then used in various ways throughout the massage to provide healing benefits.
Some of the ways we use these pouches include:
Heating them
Heat increases circulation and helps to move blocked energy along sen lines (which follow the Western model of the nervous system), promoting balanced energy flow. The addition of heat can also be comforting for clients, adding another layer of relation to their session. Heat may also activate some of the herbs, allowing them to react more powerfully with the affected tissue.
Before and during your massage, the therapist uses steam to heat and activate the herbs. The moist heat adds a warming effect and activates the aromatherapeutic benefits of the herbs (more on that below).
Cooling them
Less often we may choose to cool the herbal compress. In this way, the herbs’ healing properties are combined with the natural benefits we associate with using an ice or cool pack on an inflamed or “hot spot” on the body, that needs to calm before we can begin working with it more intimately.
Increasing healing benefits at certain pressure points
Chronic or intense pain is not always as directly linked to an injury as people once thought. As modern neuroscientists have come to realize, nerve pathways can create habitual signaling, so clients experience pain even after an injury is well on its way to healing.
Using herbal compresses while applying adequate pressure, we can stimulate blocked signals to move freely again. Similarly, we can awaken pathways that need to thrive again to balance nerve signals, reducing pain and chronic aches.
Supporting wound care and healing by using antimicrobial compresses.
Post-surgical clients benefit from Thai herbal compress massages that include antimicrobial herbs. In this way, we can use very little to no pressure around the wound while still introducing healing herbs that penetrate the skin's surface and provide healing benefits. Therefore, we can use compresses to promote surgical site healing without using painful pressure or excessive movement before the wound site is ready.
The rest of our massage can target pain relief, healing, and relaxation in areas that are less tender to direct touch or that can experience more unrestricted movement and manipulation.
Using aromatherapy to calm and restore
The majority of the herbs and ingredients we use have aromatic benefits that awaken the senses and have a naturally soothing or calming effect. In this way, a Thai herbal compress massage is an automatic aromatherapy session.
These scents encourage and support our clients as they take deep, calming breaths. Clients with respiratory issues appreciate additions like eucalyptus or camphor, which open the breathing pathways and help the lungs receive more oxygen with each breath.
The massage's results, combined with the aromatherapy inherent in the experience, mean clients leave their sessions feeling more calm, refreshed, and restored. This relaxing effect continues throughout the day, preventing tension that can lock muscles and nerves back into conditioned and uncomfortable positions.
Enjoy Your First Herbal Compress Massage At Chetawan
Chetawan is dedicated to facilitating natural remedies for aches and pains using herbal compresses and other traditional Thai massage techniques.
Contact us to book an appointment or to learn more about our massage services and what you can expect. We also offer a menu of more traditional massage therapy services to support pain relief and healing as you learn more about Thai massage techniques and their benefits.