Hands On Health

What is Thai Massage? By Lee Stanford, RN, LMBT

Many are intimidated by this exotic name, but it is one of the most down-to-earth types of bodywork I have ever experienced.  It is performed on a mat on the floor while you remain clothed, preferably loose fitting clothes like what you would wear to the gym or yoga class.  The treatment includes rhythmic compressions (like kneading dough), along energetic lines and acupoints (pressure points) referred to as Sen lines, and passive yoga stretches.  It is referred to as Thai Yoga Bodywork for these reasons.  It does a wonderful job of releasing tight muscles and achieving overall relaxation but also opens up the joint capsules and helps return adequate blood flow deep into the joints and tendons.  The most frequent descriptions immediately following a treatment is feeling deep relaxation, improved body alignment, and feeling fully energized, instead of groggy or sleepy. 

Does Thai Massage hurt? 

The massage works deeply, but there is no health benefit from causing you to cringe in pain during a treatment, in fact we will be trying to release knotted muscle fibers, not cause them to shrink up to protect against an attack.  The compressions begin gently, then gradually work deeper and slower to release the bound up tissues that are causing discomfort, thereby thwarting chronic pain and dysfunction.  The passive stretches are tailored to your individual range of motion and comfort and stops just before we cross that pain threshold.  The usual immediate reaction during a stretch is “AAhhhhhh yes!”

Thai Massage is Natural Preventive Medicine!

In Thailand, children would do “Thai massage” for their parents who performed hard labor just so they could get up and go to work the next day without injury.  Thai Yoga Bodywork can prevent injury from developing due to overuse and repetitive actions of muscles.  This Bodywork is actually a branch of medicine in Thailand that is estimated to be more than 2,500 years old and migrated to Thailand.  I recommend a fascinating article that describes it beautifully in Massage & Bodywork Magazineby Perry Garfinkel entitled, “Thailand Reclaims Its Ancient Medicinal Roots”.

Thai massage can be enjoyed by absolutely everyone including children and seniors.  It is ideal therapeutic work for athletes to improve their muscle recovery after events and while training, to improve alignment, endurance, and flexibility.

If life is your sport than Thai Yoga Bodywork can aid in meeting every challenge.

If you live, or are visiting Asheville, then sign up for a Thai Massage at

Hands On Health Massage Therapy Center. 

You may sign up online, or

call us 7 days a week at (828) 505-2899.

830 Hendersonville Rd.

Asheville, NC 28803

*Mention that you read about it here and recieve 10% off your first treatment!

One of the more common issues I have found people coming  to Massage Therapists for is Plantar Fasciitis. It is a pretty good indicator that this is the problem if there is pain along the bottom (plantar) surface of the foot, especially at the heel when they are putting weight on the foot. The pain subsides when weight is lifted off and is resting. Typical causes of Plantar Fasciitis involve walking, running, things that put repeated stress on the fascia. Also, having high arches predisposes people to this condition.

Massage Therapy is GREAT for relieving the symptoms while rest is the best cure. Ice Therapycan be used in conjunction with massage to relieve symptoms as well. In the acute stage, ice applications and keeping weight off of the foot are important to reduce inflammation and avoid reinjuring the fascia. Once the inflammation has decreased, cross-fiber friction of the plantar surface of the heel can help reduce the possibility of adhesion formation. As long as it causes no significant pain and the acute inflammation is resolved, passive movement of the foot will have a similar effect and can help increase range of motion. If there is any swelling of the ankle and leg due to inactivity, deep effleurage and lymphatic massage techniques can be used to move the collected fluids away from the foot. Any muscular spasms and myofascial trigger pointswill benefit from deep effleurage, petrissage and static compression in the muscles. These may especially be found in the tibialis anterior and posterior and peroneus longus muscles, all of which insert onto the plantar surface of the foot. Movement therapy, especially passive stretching and isometric exercise, can help these muscles retain their normal tone during the period of rest required in the treatment of plantar faciitis.

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Thriving as a massage therapist in Asheville, NC takes time, dedication and patience.  My first week here, I remember being told “You can’t swing a cat without hitting a massage therapist in asheville“!  Of course, my first thought was, “Who says that???”  Then I got excited, because I realized it really was kinda true, and that meant a few things… One, there must be people who wanted massage.  Two, even if there are a lot of massage therapists, the cream will always rise to the top.  Three, I wanted to work with the cream, and there most definitely are talented therapists in Asheville; and now many of them work at Hands on Health.  So if you are new to Asheville massage or Hands on Health, welcome.  Among our team you can rest assured you will find the care you need,  Be Well!

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