Welcome to The Gentle Pretzel!

Welcome to The Gentle Pretzel blog! My name is Adi and I've created this space to promote general knowledge of Thai massage and as well as my business. Please feel free to browse, comment, ask questions or give advice and information! For those of you who don't know what the heck Thai massage is, or know but are looking for some more information, you are in the right place. This is a quick synopsis of Thai massage, who I am and what I do. For more in-depth details, please review other, more spedific posts. Links are to your right!

Ancient Thai Massage (Nuad Bo-Rarn)

Thai Massage is a 2,000 year old healing technique influenced by both Ayurvedic/Yogic Medicine and Buddhism. Thai Massage has a unique character that is at once relaxing and invigorating. It is based on the energy meridians of the body (left), which are activated, soothed and helped into healing balance using a blend of gentle rocking, rhythmic acupressure and yoga-like stretching. This process is deeply opening, relaxing, and revitalizing to the entire body. Thai massage works long-term by restoring balance to the energetic/emotional body while bringing immediate relief to muscular pain. It is unmatched in its ability to open joints and increase range of motion and flexibility.

About Me (Adi) and The Gentle Pretzel

I studied Thai massage in Thailand at the renowned, ancient temple of Wat Pho (right), where I recieved my certificate. I have been practicing massage for six years and Thai massage for four. I practice massage part-time out of my very quiet and quaint studio located in the Mission district at 14th and Valencia. My rates are very reasonable because I believe strongly in providing affordable healing services. I would charge even less if I could, but San Francisco is an expensive place to live!

Pricing and Schedule

M-F 3-6pm (two days a week until 8pm, but the days vary, email to inquire).

1 hour session: $50
1.5 hour session: $75
2 hour session: $100

I must be finished by my closing time, which means if you want a 1 hour massage, the last appt. must be scheduled for an hour before closing, a 2 hour massage two hours before closing, etc.

Contact Information

So as to avoid a lot of unwanted calls, I don't post my phone number online. If you are interested in scheduling and appointment, or even just want to ask some questions, please email me and I will send you my phone number when I reply. Thank you for your patience regarding this!

ancientmassage@gmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: This is holistic, theraputic massage only. It is in no way a sexual service. If you are looking for a sexual service I won't judge, but you'll have to look for it elsewhere. Thank you for your consideration.

The Spirit of Thai Massage

Traditional Thai massage contains elements of strong spiritual connection. Practitioners start their work day with a prayer to the Father Doctor, which is recited in the original Pali language:

Prayer to the Father Doctor

We invite the spirit of our founder,
the Father Doctor Shivaga, who taught us through his saintly life.
Please bring to us the knowledge of nature,
and show us the true medicine in the universe.
Through this prayer, we request your help, that through our hands,
you will bring wholeness and health to the body of our client.
The god of healing dwells in the heavens high
while mankind remains in the world below.
In the name of the founder, may the heavens be reflected in the earth,
so that this healing medicine may encircle the world.
We pray for the one whom we touch, that he will be happy and all pain will be released from him
.

They are also reminded of the Four Divine States of Mind of the Buddhist teachings:

• Compassion
• Loving-kindness
• Joy
• Balance

A practitioner must begin with compassion, for self as well as for others. From compassion springs forth loving-kindness, or simply the wish for wellbeing. Loving-kindness leads to a feeling of vicarious joy that enables one to find balance or equanimity in life.

What is Thai Massage?

Thai massage is a form of body work that is becoming increasingly popular in the West. A traditional Thai massage incorporates an ancient combination of acupressure, energy meridian work, and yoga-like stretching for an invigorating and balancing experience. Thai massage improves circulation, flexibility, muscle tone, and is the perfect complement to any exercise routine.

Called Nuad Bo Rarn in Thai, the ancient art of traditional massage has been practiced by an unbroken chain of masters since at least 300 BC. Thai massage is directly related to Ayurvedic principles originating in India. Like other ancient Asian techniques such as shiatsu and reflexology, and more recent Western developments such as craniosacral therapy, Thai massage is a form of therapy based on the theory of the flow of energy between specific points on the periphery of the body and the internal organs. The masseur uses a unique combination of acupressure and yoga-like stretching to relax muscles and work through tension and stress. Acupressure points are sensitive "trigger" points that connect to musculoskeletal and organ systems throughout the body. Linked through an intricate network of 72,000 energy lines (called ‘sen’ in Thai), these acupressure points stimulate and relax the patient's mind and body, promoting the natural healing processes.

Thai massage is most different from other forms of massage in that there is no oil used, the masseur uses a mattress on the floor, and you remain completely clothed throughout the massage. It is often described it as having someone “do yoga to you.”

This blend of acupressure and stretching is especially beneficial for those who find themselves stiff, sore, and tired from over-exertion in work or sports, or from arthritis or other debilitating diseases. Thai massage enhances strength and flexibility, relaxes sore or tense muscles, and can help to recapture lost range of motion. By encouraging lymphatic function, this traditional deep tissue massage and stretching can also detoxify the body, heighten the immune system, and prevent disease and/or injury by promoting flexibility.

The History of Thai Massage

As to where and when Ancient Massage originated precisely, it is difficult to ascertain for sure. A long time has passed and many historical evidences have disappeared. Prior to the Burmese invasion of Ayutthaya (capital of Thailand at the time) in 1767, the tradition of Thai medicine is thought to have been thoroughly documented. Only fragments of the existing precious medical texts survived that invasion. In 1832 King Rama III used what epigraphs remained as a basis for preserving the Thai massage tradition. He arranged for the epigraphs to be engraved on stone tablets and built into the temple Phra Chetuphon in Bangkok. These inscriptions still sit within the walls of this now famous temple more commonly known as Wat Pho and are used to pass along the traditional healing medicine of Thailand to as many people as possible. To this day, King Rama III is highly admired, honored and respected throughout thailand for his part in preserving the ancient medical practices of Thailand.

Thai people believe that their ancient, traditional massage originated in India over 2,500 years ago and is one of the oldest healing modalities in the world. In spite of the evolution of Thai massage being clouded by the passage of time and the lack of written records, one can see that it is greatly influenced by yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. The evidence is in the movements, which often mimic the asanas of yoga, and attention to invisible energy lines and pressure points, which are similar to the nadis of Ayurveda and meridians of Chinese medicine.

Thai people honor Shivaga Komarpaj (known as "Father Doctor") as the founder of Thai massage. He is reported to have been born in northern India, and is considered one of the historically important students of the original master teachers of the Ayurvedic tradition. His teachings came to Thailand over a thousand years ago. He is thought to have been a friend and contemporary of the Buddha, possibly even the personal physician to the Buddha and the King of India. The Father Doctor Shivaga is so important to traditional medicine that he is also called the ‘Thrice Crowned King of Tibetan’ medicine and is considered a saint. To this day each Thai massage therpist begins the work day with a prayer in honor of him, while each massage begins with thanking him.

For centuries, Thai massage was performed by monks as one element of indigenous Thai medicine. The Thai people, like many others in the orient, saw illness as an imbalance in the body/mind/spirit and they would seek help at the local temple. They were treated with the four elements of traditional Thai medicine:

• Nutritional counseling (focusing on diet)
• Herbs (given both internally and externally)
• Spiritual counseling (primarily meditation and the Buddhist principles)
• Thai Massage (which formed the backbone of the physical treatment).

Thai massage has undergone a subtle shift as a result of western influences, which greatly increased in the 1950's and continue to this day. Traditionally practiced in Buddhist temples by monks specializing in this "manual manipulation", the work in Thailand today is no longer limited to the temple setting. When western medicine came into vogue, traditional medicine suffered a downswing. It went somewhat underground, and re-emerged years later after western medicine was no longer viewed as always superior. Now Thai massage is practiced throughout Thailand as part of the prevailing medicinal healing of the country.