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What is a Lanna Thai Massage?
If you have travelled in Northern Thailand, you might have seen the phrase Traditional Thai Lanna Massage used commercially in massage spas and parlours. Lanna Thai Massage and the Lanna Healing Arts have made significant contributions to Thailand’s wealth of massage styles and diverse healing modalities. Without the rich cultural input of the Lanna region, Thailand as a whole would have been way less exuberant.
The Uniqueness of Lanna Thai Massage
The primary goal of Thai Lanna Massage is to manipulate Lom Pran, the vital energy that flows through the sen, and free up the passageways rather than releasing tight muscles. This work will relieve tension and stiffness using slower, softer, and more gentle techniques than those of Southern Thai Massage, incorporating additional stretches. Lanna Thai Massage incorporates additional techniques to relax and loosen the feet, legs, and lower back muscles, reflecting its origins as a therapeutic practice for individuals working in the mountainous regions of Northern Thailand.
Unlike traditional Southern Thai massages, Lanna Thai massage often lacks a fixed pattern or sequence of techniques. Lanna Massage is much less protocol-based, and the treatment is not necessarily a complete full-body massage. Session durations can vary from fifteen minutes to two or more hours, depending very much on the specific health issues of the recipient.
Additionally, Lanna Massage is applied to heal internal organs, including the stomach, intestines, testicles, uterus, ovaries, and prostate. Traditional healers often use herbs, notably herbal compresses or tools like Tok Sen.
Another significant characteristic that sets Thai Lanna healing apart from traditional Thai Medicine practices is that Lanna therapists are typically more involved with ancient beliefs in animism and rituals. Practitioners view incantations, chants, religious ceremonies, and the healer’s spiritual maturity as essential aspects of healing work.
Lanna Thai Massage Modalities
In addition to its unique form of traditional Thai massage, Lanna Thai massage incorporates various modalities that originate from and are specific to the northern region around Chiang Mai.
Tok Sen
Thai Tok Sen is a traditional Lanna Thai Folk healing practice that utilizes a small hammer and a wedge of wood, bone, or ivory to tap along the body’s sen lines. The type of material depends on the treatment goal and the teaching lineage of the Tok Sen techniques.
Luk Pra Kob (Herbal Compress Massage)
Technically, Herbal Compress massage is not unique to the Lanna region. However, the Thai Lanna modality utilizes herbs from Northern Thailand, combining hot and cold herbal compresses and packs with a full-body massage.
Thai Face Lifting Massage
Thai facial lifting massage is an integrative approach that merges classic Thai methods with targeted facial techniques to invigorate and sculpt the face. It seeks to relieve stress, enhance circulation, and bring about a lifted, more youthful appearance. By applying acupressure, aiding lymph flow, and using flowing strokes, the treatment helps tone facial muscles and improve skin resilience.
Thai Barefoot Massage (Walking Massage)
Specifically in northern Thailand and among certain Hill Tribes, walking massage, also known as Thai Barefoot Massage, is a popular form of Thai Massage application. Treatments given with the feet have a totally different, more earthy and grounded quality than when applied with the hands or other parts of the body. In general, a practitioner can apply more pressure. Sometimes, the Barefoot Massage practitioners and therapists use a stick, rod, or rope to keep their balance while “walking” over the patient.
Ched Hak (Thai Lanna Detox)
Ched Hak Thai Massage is an ancient Lanna detox technique that traditionally uses claws of animals (that died naturally and without suffering) during treatment procedures. Blessed and considered powerful, the practitioner wipes or scrapes the instrument on the receiver’s body. At the same time, the therapist offers prayers and chants of empowerment, purifying and cleansing the receiver, and bringing vitality and universal forces to them.
Yam Khang (Thai Fire Therapy)
Yam Khang, also known as Thai Fire Therapy or Thai Thermal Massage Therapy, is a Form of Barefoot Massage that utilizes heat, oils, and the feet to treat the patient’s body. The goal of the treatment is to help relieve the patient from muscle, tendon, joint and bone pains, as well as numbness and paralysis.
Thai Amatarot Massage
Amatarot is a relatively young Lanna therapy, approximately 100 years old. A practitioner treats a patient using a wooden stick or rod with various appliances (depending on the application) stuck to the end of the rod. The tool penetrates deeply into tendons and fascia, relieving or curing sciatica, postural imbalances, joint issues, physical pains, low energy, and tensions, among other conditions.
Thai Abdominal Massage
Thai Abdominal Massage is a hybrid of ancient Lanna Abdominal Massage, Thai Abdominal Massage, and Chinese influences, newly (re)developed by Mantak Chia at Tao Garden.
Thai Abdominal massage aims to recycle and transform negative energies that obstruct the abdominal area and internal organs, restoring the body’s energy flow, balance, and healthy functioning. Deep abdominal work is also beneficial in healing emotional and psychological issues.
Thai Genital Massage
Thai Genital massage is a specialization of Thai Abdominal massage. It is a hybrid of ancient Lanna Genital Massage, Thai Genital Massage, and Chinese influences, newly developed by Mantak Chia (Tao Garden, Chiang Mai).
The treatment aims to heal and stimulate the genital system by removing blockages and toxins in the genital area. The modality strongly focuses on issues and difficulties with the sexual organs, urination, fertility, impotence, painful menstruation, painful scar tissue after giving birth, low sexual libido and painful intercourse.
Thai Womblifting
Thai Womblifting involves hot sea salt crystals in a clay pot wrapped in medicinal leaves and applied as a compress pack. The process likewise manipulates acupressure points on the abdominal area, legs, buttocks and back. During a treatment, the Thai healer directly manipulates the uterus (womb) with their hands on the abdomen. The therapy serves post-natal health and relief for fertility problems, as well as overall health and well-being.
Thai Uterus Massage
Thai Uterus massage is a modality that varies depending on the practitioner’s lineage. In general, one can trace influences, parallels, and combinations of Thai Womb Lifting, Thai Genital Massage, Thai Abdominal Massage, and Yok Thong.
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