Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/77424
2. Wellman says the Thai herbal WHAT'S THE MOST POPULAR ASIAN THERAPY? Capellini says Thai herbal therapy and Thai massage are bestsellers. Thai herbal balls, which are bundles of dried herbs wrapped in cloth and tied tight, are often combined with Thai massage. "You soak the balls for a couple of minutes in water to rehydrate the herbs, then steam them for 10 minutes to get them warm, and get the oils to mix," says Tom Wellman, president of ball treatment has become especially popular on cruise ships, but that it could help build any massage therapy practice. "What people like about them is they're different. You're giving your customers something they've never seen before, and it's an experience most people like quite a bit. It's likely to get them talking about it with friends." THING FOR THERAPISTS TO KNOW ABOUT THAI MASSAGE IS … Traditional Thai massage—or nuad boran—is unlike Western massage in that it is performed on a floor mat, not a table, and uses no oils. "There are a few techniques that can be adapted to a table from nuad boran, but true Thai massage cannot, and should not, be performed on a table," says Bob Haddad, director of Thai Healing Alliance International (THAI), the North Carolina-based network of Thai massage practitioners. As it grows in popularity, workshops 3. Sa-wan Spa Products of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an importer of the balls. Similar to stone massage, the herbal balls allow therapists to apply heat to muscles, but also offer herbal and aromatherapy benefits as well. "It allows you to work deeper into the muscles without as much wear and tear on your hands or your body," Wellman says. Afterward, the client gets to keep and reuse the ball, which typically sells for about $7 each. for the technique are becoming easier to find. Check the THAI website (www.thaihealingalliance. com) for a list of upcoming classes. "I usually advise students to take the slow-but-sure approach to learning, since the best way to learn is over a long period of time, getting feedback from several teachers," Haddad says. "Most serious practitioners of Thai massage spend more than one year doing basic study and practice before they begin to practice professionally." Haddad says aside from lots of study and practice, what's needed to learn Thai massage is "an open heart, a willingness to listen to our clients' bodies and energies, and a firm but comfy floor mat." THE MOST IMPORTANT 4. IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A POOL OR WATER, THINK WATSU Take the techniques of shiatsu, move them into the water, and you get "watsu," a modality created by Harold Dull in 1980. While Western by design, watsu was born on the tenets of Asian techniques. "You float your client in the water and use appropriate devices around their legs so they're buoyant," says Joyce Reim, owner and director of the School of Shiatsu and Massage, located at Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, California. Watsu was born here, and it's still the only school certified to teach watsu. Watsu certification requires a 550-hour training program, but many therapists incorporate aquatic techniques into their repertoire without calling them watsu. Reim says warm pools help to release and open up energy in the body, and the buoyancy of the water helps clients relax. 5. WHAT ABOUT CUPPING? Cupping is an ancient Chinese practice in which a suction cup is applied to the skin; it involves energy work along the body's meridians. Anita Shannon, president of ACE Massage Cupping in Asheville, North Carolina, has taken this ancient Chinese medical practice and reworked it into a bodywork tool. Instead of leaving the cups stationary, as in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), she moves a cup around during a massage. Rather than working with energy meridians, she works with muscular and body systems. And she doesn't use fire to create a vacuum as traditional practitioners do. Rather, she uses a vacuum pistol. She leads classes in the technique all across the country. earn CE hours at your convenience: abmp's online education center, www.abmp.com 81