Thai Massage? What's that?
On Monday, Rose and I went to get a Thai massage in Jeonja, one subway stop from our place in Migeum. My friend Sasha had actually recommended Thai massage to me in the US, but I didn't have a chance to try it before I got to Korea. Thai message has some elements that are similar to a standard massage; the main differences (as far as I could tell) involve the incorporation of stretching and some eastern philosophies (e.g. reflexology, working with energy meridians in the body). For me, the experience was pretty intense as I'm 1) not very flexible and 2) having problems with tension in my shoulders and back. I looked forward to it though as part of my new quest for healthiness.
When we arrived, we were greeted by our masseuse and masseur, Kiki and Kobe. After changing into some loose fitting traditional Korean outfits, Rose and I drank tea while we soaked our feet in hot tubs. Kiki and Kobe told us a little about themselves; apparently, they had recently gotten back from Thailand where they were studying to be Thai massage instructors.
After tea, the massage began. Rose and I laid down on separate mats and Kiki began to massage Rose while Kobe worked with me (poor guy). Giving a Thai message can involve quite a bit of athleticism; Kobe was often moving around, stretching me, contorting his body to put more pressure on my tight muscles. At one point, he put his hands on my shoulders and balanced himself on them! Yes, I had a 77kg Korean man perched on my shoulders (no, this probably doesn't happen to everyone who gets a Thai massage).
The next day, Rose and I were both sore, but since then I've been feeling much better. While the massage was intense and sometimes painful and being sore certainly wasn't fun, I think it might have been necessary to loose things up. Kind of the break 'em down, build 'em up approach. I also really liked the inclusion of stretching; it felt like a more holistic massage (not to knock my friends at Healthy Effects in Johnson City--I still dream about those massages). I'd recommend trying it if you get a chance.
When we arrived, we were greeted by our masseuse and masseur, Kiki and Kobe. After changing into some loose fitting traditional Korean outfits, Rose and I drank tea while we soaked our feet in hot tubs. Kiki and Kobe told us a little about themselves; apparently, they had recently gotten back from Thailand where they were studying to be Thai massage instructors.
After tea, the massage began. Rose and I laid down on separate mats and Kiki began to massage Rose while Kobe worked with me (poor guy). Giving a Thai message can involve quite a bit of athleticism; Kobe was often moving around, stretching me, contorting his body to put more pressure on my tight muscles. At one point, he put his hands on my shoulders and balanced himself on them! Yes, I had a 77kg Korean man perched on my shoulders (no, this probably doesn't happen to everyone who gets a Thai massage).
The next day, Rose and I were both sore, but since then I've been feeling much better. While the massage was intense and sometimes painful and being sore certainly wasn't fun, I think it might have been necessary to loose things up. Kind of the break 'em down, build 'em up approach. I also really liked the inclusion of stretching; it felt like a more holistic massage (not to knock my friends at Healthy Effects in Johnson City--I still dream about those massages). I'd recommend trying it if you get a chance.
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