Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1451559
HERBS, COMPRESSES, AND MATERIALS In Thailand, foreign students of traditional Thai massage are taught to use fresh ingredients to make herbal compresses, but many of these fresh Thai herbs and rhizomes aren't available when they return to their native countries. As a result, they import premade dry mixes or "herbal balls" made for spas and tourists. These are made with cumbersome handles, and because they're expensive, they are often used on several clients and mistakenly left out to dry and accumulate mold. Outside of Thailand, the most reasonable option is to source basic dried ingredients in one's own region, mix the dry herbs and store them appropriately, and then add fresh ingredients to each compress on the day it is used. Companies that sell bulk dried herbs exist on all continents, enabling therapists to cut costs and integrate herbs more readily into therapeutic practice. Ginger is the most important and most available fresh ingredient. The rhizome has strong antiseptic properties, and the smashed fibers retain heat when they are steamed, which helps maintain an even temperature inside the compress. Other irregularly sized materials, such as rock salt and small pieces of roots and rhizomes, help keep the compress firm and evenly distribute the dry herbs as they are steamed. COTTON OUTER CLOTHS AND MUSLIN BAGS Typically, dried and fresh herbs, leaves, and rhizomes are cut and crushed and then wrapped and tied in a cloth bundle. Cotton and muslin cloth is used. The most convenient outer wrappers are light cotton washcloths, the type used to clean the hands of factory workers and automobile mechanics. Place the herbs directly in the center of the cotton cloth, fold up the corners (Image 1), and squeeze the neck of the compress to make the bundle as firm and hard as possible (Image 2). Tie it with a thick rubber band or a string, fold down the flaps to make a knobby handle (Image 3), and you're ready to go (Image 4). If you make a compress in this way, be prepared to throw it away after use because the herbs will get stuck in the fibers and the cloth will be very difficult to wash and clean afterward. To avoid these limitations, therapists should consider using cotton drawstring bags for herbal compresses. Muslin bags provide options for using a compress more than once and for adjusting the percentage of herbs. They also allow you to convert recently used herbal 32 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m a rc h /a p r i l 2 0 2 2 compresses into bath infusions or shower loofahs to give to clients after treatment. THE STEAMER It's best to use an electric steamer with a thermostat that gives you extra temperature control. Make sure to use a true vegetable steamer and not a rice cooker or slow cooker. Avoid using a machine that has a ticking timer or a bell or digital sound, or one that shuts off automatically. The lid should always remain closed, except when you move the compress in and out of the Preparation of an herbal compress. Photos courtesy Bob Haddad. 1 3 2 4