Traditional Lanna massage

Traditional Lanna massage has its own unity that differs from the traditional Thai massage. The main purpose of the Lanna massage is to relieve tension and stiffness, and also sometimes for healing the internal organs like the stomach, intestines, uterus, and prostate gland. More serious problems can be cured with a combination of Lanna massage and herbal medicine.

The technique of touching of traditional Lanna massage differs from traditional Thai massage or Western massage techniques. There are 11 techniques of touching as follows; 1. Stroke 2. Stir 3. Pressing 4. Squeezing. 5. Remove. 6. Press and Stir. 7. Stimulation 8. Stretching 9. Digging 10. Refine 11. Move up The different techniques are used to heal different problems.

The therapists have proper manners. They sit properly next to you. We found hardly any who stand or bestride over you. Female therapists generally dress in a long wrap-around Northern style skirt. Trousers are not so common. Male therapists dress in a proper casual style. The treatment can be started with whichever part of your body is experiencing problems. There is no proper pattern like traditional Thai style. Lanna style is not a full body massage, and the duration of the treatment varies from around 15 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the seriousness of the problems. Sometimes it lasts until you are feeling better.

Through Lanna thought traditional Lanna Massage relates to traditional Lanna rituals. Therefore, before starting the treatment money must be put into a tray with pedestal with flowers, incense and candles. This is seen as paying respect to the teacher who taught the therapist their knowledge. The amount of money is up to the customer. There no rules for this. After the treatment is finished another ritual is performed. This is to rinse away the bad things or the sickness that the therapist might have received during the treatment. You might be asked to rinse the water on the therapist’s hands, or the therapist might do it themselves.

More searching still needs to be done for the local therapists in each province, as we don’t have any information about them. This needs to be done as soon as possible because we definitely don’t want to loose these valuable people, nor their knowledge. After that we will be able to unite the traditional and modern knowledge together and reorganize it to be marketed to people and to become a commercial trend.

Local Northern massage style can be considered as a valuable traditional Lanna massage. If we, the new generation, can develop practical ways to keep, spread and promote it to everyone inside and outside the country, this knowledge will be with us forever.

Special thanks to Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office www.chiangmaihealth.com and Thai Lanna Spa Association www.thailannaspaassociation.com