Comments on: A Collection of Weird Massage Stories http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/ Thailand Review: Living, Traveling, Relationships, Thai Massage, Festivals Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:31:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lidia http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-33179 Lidia Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:10:40 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-33179 Hello, Shama, I would be delighted to have the course and benefit from it. Thank you for your valuable instructions Lidia Hello, Shama, I would be delighted to have the course and benefit from it. Thank you for your valuable instructions
Lidia

]]> By: Shama http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-33170 Shama Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:29:50 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-33170 Lidia, I agree with you that it is better to skip working on the belly unless someone knows what they are doing. On the other hand good abdominal massage is an amazing experience. I love doing it and I have created a course that teaches how to do it in a very effective and pleasant way. http://thaihealingmassage.com/info/abdominal-massage-therapy/ Lidia, I agree with you that it is better to skip working on the belly unless someone knows what they are doing. On the other hand good abdominal massage is an amazing experience. I love doing it and I have created a course that teaches how to do it in a very effective and pleasant way.
http://thaihealingmassage.com/info/abdominal-massage-therapy/

]]> By: Lidia http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-33159 Lidia Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:42:24 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-33159 Hello Shama, thanks for sharing your impressions about your experience in unlucky massage sessions. For the beginners in Thai massage they are very useful, since we learn a lot from bad experience. For example, I have been taught not to be too zealous in massaging the belly, from your stories I a got strong confirmation that really massage therapists should be very careful about belly massage and maybe in some cases skip it at all. Looking forward to your stories and very useful instructions, thanks, Lidia Hello Shama,
thanks for sharing your impressions about your experience in unlucky massage sessions. For the beginners in Thai massage they are very useful, since we learn a lot from bad experience. For example, I have been taught not to be too zealous in massaging the belly, from your stories I a got strong confirmation that really massage therapists should be very careful about belly massage and maybe in some cases skip it at all.

Looking forward to your stories and very useful instructions,

thanks,

Lidia

]]> By: Shama http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-32889 Shama Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:17:03 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-32889 Lucia, you have been a source of inspiration to me since you came on board as a student of my massage courses. People like you are what gives me the inspiration to continue writing and producing! Lucia, you have been a source of inspiration to me since you came on board as a student of my massage courses. People like you are what gives me the inspiration to continue writing and producing!

]]> By: Lucia http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-32833 Lucia Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:01:35 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-32833 Thanks Shama for sharing these interesting stories. I enjoyed reading them. Beautiful things can happen in the art of massage but of course crazy things as well!! There is always so much to learn from even the weirdest experience... As you know I LOVE anything about massage and I am learning a lot from you. I really appreciate all your courses and your articles as well. You are a wonderful instructor and a great writer. Thank you so much for how much you give... your time, knowledge, energy, and your love for people and Thailand. All is very much felt. Thanks again, Lucia Thanks Shama for sharing these interesting stories.
I enjoyed reading them. Beautiful things can happen in the art of massage but of course crazy things as well!!
There is always so much to learn from even the weirdest experience…
As you know I LOVE anything about massage and I am learning a lot from you.
I really appreciate all your courses and your articles as well. You are a wonderful instructor and a great writer.
Thank you so much for how much you give… your time, knowledge, energy, and your love for people and Thailand.
All is very much felt.

Thanks again,
Lucia

]]> By: Shama http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-30477 Shama Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:29:11 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-30477 Linda, I have to admit that I have been guilty of enduring a bad massage session instead of just stopping it. Sometimes it was just the curiosity of how bizarre it can get, and the writer in me is always looking for interesting things to write about. But many times I did not stop it because I did not want to crush the therapist's self esteem who in her mind might have done the best she could, even if that was a long shot from being good enough for me. This is a difficult balancing act. In one sense we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but in another sense why should we add insult to injury by enduring a bad session and then paying for it on top of it. At least here in Asia the payment part is not a big issue since most of those sessions that I mentioned in my article only cost about US $5.- an hour. But where you are that's another story. At New York prices I would probably walk out of a bad session a lot sooner than here in Thailand. Most of these stories happened many years ago. I have become a little less adventurous with my massage sessions, and I don't travel as much anymore. So nowadays I really only get massage from someone whom I know to be good. That gets me around the issue of having to walk out. Linda, I have to admit that I have been guilty of enduring a bad massage session instead of just stopping it. Sometimes it was just the curiosity of how bizarre it can get, and the writer in me is always looking for interesting things to write about.

But many times I did not stop it because I did not want to crush the therapist’s self esteem who in her mind might have done the best she could, even if that was a long shot from being good enough for me.

This is a difficult balancing act. In one sense we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but in another sense why should we add insult to injury by enduring a bad session and then paying for it on top of it.

At least here in Asia the payment part is not a big issue since most of those sessions that I mentioned in my article only cost about US $5.- an hour. But where you are that’s another story. At New York prices I would probably walk out of a bad session a lot sooner than here in Thailand.

Most of these stories happened many years ago. I have become a little less adventurous with my massage sessions, and I don’t travel as much anymore. So nowadays I really only get massage from someone whom I know to be good. That gets me around the issue of having to walk out.

]]> By: Linda http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-30375 Linda Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:10:07 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-30375 Hello, Shama, I really enjoyed reading your stories of bizarre massages around the world. Most of those questionable practices are in the U.S. too, minus the exotic setting. It got me to thinking, though, that apparently, even though you are a seasoned and savvy massage practitioner and recipient, you are suceptible to allowing a bad massage to continue for far too long, and then to add insult to injury, even pay for it. I too have allowed this a couple of times. Why do we massage people do that? Our curiousity can sometimes exceed our common sense, which is to speak up and to never let anyone do something to our bodies that can potentially harm us. The cost of massage is so high in my neck of the woods, (NYC), that nowadays I won't hesitate any longer to just stop the session and walk out. Thankfully, that has only happened once. Hello, Shama,
I really enjoyed reading your stories of bizarre massages around the world. Most of those questionable practices are in the U.S. too, minus the exotic setting. It got me to thinking, though, that apparently, even though you are a seasoned and savvy massage practitioner and recipient, you are suceptible to allowing a bad massage to continue for far too long, and then to add insult to injury, even pay for it. I too have allowed this a couple of times. Why do we massage people do that? Our curiousity can sometimes exceed our common sense, which is to speak up and to never let anyone do something to our bodies that can potentially harm us. The cost of massage is so high in my neck of the woods, (NYC), that nowadays I won’t hesitate any longer to just stop the session and walk out. Thankfully, that has only happened once.

]]> By: Shama http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-28621 Shama Sun, 12 Jun 2011 16:03:13 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-28621 Graham, this is indeed a highly unusual experience which fits more into the realm of shamanic healing rather than massage therapy. I have heard quite a few stories like that, and it is always a mystery how they do it. Did you ever read the article about what happened to my own partner when she was deadly sick as a teenager? If not, here is the link: http://shamakern.com/strange-healing-miracle-in-thailand/ Graham, this is indeed a highly unusual experience which fits more into the realm of shamanic healing rather than massage therapy. I have heard quite a few stories like that, and it is always a mystery how they do it. Did you ever read the article about what happened to my own partner when she was deadly sick as a teenager? If not, here is the link:
http://shamakern.com/strange-healing-miracle-in-thailand/

]]> By: Graham http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-28552 Graham Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:43:00 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-28552 Here is a rather spooky experience. On one of the islands there was a poster on a tree from a Japanese guy who was doing a combination Shiatsu/Thai/Chiropractor. Something impressed me about the poster, not as cheap as the normal Thai Massage but he seemed to be quite experienced. I went to his little hut on the rocky shore front and arranged an appointment. At the arranged time I stripped to the waist and he spent some time examining my posture etc. He noticed that my spine had some scoliosis. So I lay down while he started his preparation. This was to light up whatever was in his bong and inhale a few very deep breaths of the smoke. He had some very jittery motion in his hands, and he spent about 1 hour rubbing a particular spot on my skull. I was a bit baffled but he reassured me constantly that all was fine and I should be patient. He took the odd supplementary drag on his bong during this time. At a certain point he started testing my spine and then suddenly used a sideways motion to press laterally on my spine. I felt a movement and something clunked. He then did some more work on my back muscles before the end of the massage. When he was finished he stood me in from of the wall mirror and with a second mirror showed me my now straight spine. All the chiropractors in Perth just looked at it and told me I had scoliosis. And today, about 5 years later my spine is still quite straight! Here is a rather spooky experience. On one of the islands there was a poster on a tree from a Japanese guy who was doing a combination Shiatsu/Thai/Chiropractor. Something impressed me about the poster, not as cheap as the normal Thai Massage but he seemed to be quite experienced. I went to his little hut on the rocky shore front and arranged an appointment.

At the arranged time I stripped to the waist and he spent some time examining my posture etc. He noticed that my spine had some scoliosis. So I lay down while he started his preparation. This was to light up whatever was in his bong and inhale a few very deep breaths of the smoke. He had some very jittery motion in his hands, and he spent about 1 hour rubbing a particular spot on my skull. I was a bit baffled but he reassured me constantly that all was fine and I should be patient. He took the odd supplementary drag on his bong during this time.

At a certain point he started testing my spine and then suddenly used a sideways motion to press laterally on my spine. I felt a movement and something clunked. He then did some more work on my back muscles before the end of the massage.

When he was finished he stood me in from of the wall mirror and with a second mirror showed me my now straight spine. All the chiropractors in Perth just looked at it and told me I had scoliosis. And today, about 5 years later my spine is still quite straight!

]]> By: Shama http://shamakern.com/a-collection-of-weird-massage-stories/comment-page-1/#comment-27705 Shama Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:46:08 +0000 http://shamakern.com/?p=426#comment-27705 Graham, in regards to your previous post, I think you are right on both points. Also the Thais are really not much into learning anything besides their traditional Thai Massage. And if they would, the tourists would not appreciate the spirit of it anyway. India is on a different wavelength. Many western visitors there expect and respect the spiritual aspect more than here in Thailand. Tantric massage would not work in Thailand. You Bali experience definitely has a place in the annals of misguided massage adventures haha. Join the club. After the fact it always makes for a good story. Graham, in regards to your previous post, I think you are right on both points. Also the Thais are really not much into learning anything besides their traditional Thai Massage. And if they would, the tourists would not appreciate the spirit of it anyway. India is on a different wavelength. Many western visitors there expect and respect the spiritual aspect more than here in Thailand. Tantric massage would not work in Thailand.

You Bali experience definitely has a place in the annals of misguided massage adventures haha. Join the club. After the fact it always makes for a good story.

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