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There are over 150 different types of massage therapy, which have
developed from a number of sources. The following massage types are commonly used:

Ancient Thai Massage:
This type of massage is also known as Thai bodywork or passive/assisted
yoga. It involves an emphasis on stretching and overall loosening of the
body, and, therefore, is usually soothing. Its roots go far back into
history, and it is known as Ancient massage. It began in India and became popular in Thailand.

The massage recipient wears pajamas and lies on a firm mattress on the
floor. It can be done solo or in a group of a dozen or so patients in the
same room. The massage therapist leans on the receiver's body using his
hands and forearms in order to apply dense rhythmic pressure to nearly every part of the receiver's body. Sometimes the legs and feet of the therapist are used to fixate the body or limbs of the receiver. At other times, the hands fixate the body, while the feet do the massage. There is usually no oil used in this procedure. A full Thai massage usually takes two hours, or even more, and also involves pulling fingers, toes, ears etc., cracking the knuckles, walking on the receiver's back, and arching the receiver's back in a rolling action. There is a regular procedure and rhythm to the massage. In a large group massage, the practitioners sometimes perform the procedures in unison.

In Thailand, Thai massage is a tourist attraction and the practitioners are
usually women. In some businesses, they sit inside a room with a large
display window and clients will choose the girl they like by the number tag on them. Many say that the more experienced older women give a better massage than the young and pretty women. A full two hour massage in Thailand typically costs around THB 300 ($8 US in 2005). However, location is an important factor as massages in a rural Thai area wouldn't be as much as in a Thai five-star hotel.

MA-URI Massage:
Introduced in 1990, MA-URI is a very new form of massage. It was introduced by Hemi Hoani Fox and its roots are from the Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi Nui dance. This form of massage increases energy flow within the mind and body. Its internal focus is on breathing and concentration. Mental and physical health are the claimed benefits of this type of massage. The MA-URI Institute, headed by Hemi and Katja Fox, advocates and studies the benefits of this type of massage. It is presently difficult to find practitioners, although this may change as this type of massage becomes more popular.

Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT):
MAT was developed by Erik Dalton. Postural distortions are identified
through this technique, the purpose of which is to improve and prevent
pain conditions. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and
myofacial techniques are used to lengthen tight, facilitated muscles while fiber activation techniques tone weak, restrained muscles.

 


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