Historically speaking the knowledge of traditional Thai massage reached South East Asia some 2500 years ago. It is said to have been introduced more than 2500 years ago by a doctor from Northern India by name of Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, a contemporary of Buddha and personal doctor of the Magadha King Bimbisara. Kumar Bhacca is known to have been a friend of Buddha and a doctor for the Buddhist monks. He is mentioned in the Pali
Kanon, the old texts of Buddhism of the Southern school of Theravada (found today mainly in Sri Lanka, Birma/Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand).
Nuad Phaen Boran as is it called in Thailand, correctly translates only as Ancient Massage or Traditional Massage. More widely known today as Thai Massage, it is also often called Traditional Thai Massage, Ancient Thai Massage and occasionally Yoga Massage or Thai Yoga. In our web pages, we wanted to use only Ancient Massage to be faithful to the original appellation but had to change our mind and also use Thai Massage. If we did not use the words "Thai Massage", who would have found us and the information we wanted to share with students, researchers and practitioners of this art.
The Healing Hands Center is dedicated to offering hands-on training in the art of Ancient Massage or Thai Massage.
Mention Thai massage - and many will first think of Bangkok's notorious night life, its "massage" parlours with saucy extras. Thai massage has suffered from this confusion of terms, for few visitors of Thailand know that it does not mean covert prostitution at all.
Traditional Thai massage - or Nuad in Thai - looks back on a long history of curative treatment. When trying to trace the massage methods as practised in Thailand to their roots, one is bound to discover that Thai massage originally came to South East Asia from India.
Thai massage is a very wide-spread form of treatment in Thailand. It ranks highly in the health care system and is considered an easy-to-use and efficient method by all sections of the population.
Moreover, from the medical perspective it is used as a very successful treatment.
Ancient Massage or Thai Massage is an extraordinary method of aligning the energies of the body, and originates from the time of the Buddha.
