Importance Of Herbs In A Thai Spa

Constant stress, brought about by today's modern lifestyle, can cause illnesses. Relaxation, even for short while, can provide a temporary cure. Many people may choose sleep as a simpler way to reduce stress, but that may not be enough. This why we find more and more people turning to experience the benefits provided through health spar therapy.

Thai spas offer popular forms of health therapies using mainly aromatic herbal massages, saunas, Look Prakob (herbal ball) and Jacuzzis to help refresh and re energize clients found suffering from fatigue and stress. A typical Thai spa uses simple, Thai herbs commonly found around the kitchen including tamarind, galangal root, lemon grass, tumeric, zingiber, Kaffir lime leaves and so forth. All of these herbs are ingredients used in everyday cooking in Thailand. The more conventional Thais also use these plants to make herbal medicines and traditional cosmetics; part of the country's inherent intellectual wisdom now recognized the world over.

Many spa therapy centers normally offer an herbal "welcome drink" as a means of refreshment. Each drink has its own specific values. For example Matoom (bael fruit) helps quench thirst, improve the digestive tracts and remove toxins. Ginger helps alleviate gas in the abdomen and improve blood circulation, whereas sugar cane, a natural, sweet drink, helps suppress coughing, and treat colds and fevers. There are many more Thai herbal drinks that possess specific values for curing illnesses through their natural vitamins and mineral nutrients.

After a welcome drink, a session of traditional massage aids relaxation. Two different types of massage are offered in Thailand - manual massage and oil massage. The former is more suited to people with weak health conditions and who experience problems with their joints and muscles, because this form of massage emphasizes acupunctural treatment of nerve points on the body at particular spots. It requires a qualified and trained Thai masseur to carry out this work.

An oil massage is aimed more towards reducing stress and muscular pains and for this aromatic herbal oils are made from naturally grown plants such as sesame and coconut. Herbal oil is rubbed all over the body and massaged gently to promote good blood circulation through the veins. It can also help the expansion and flexibility of muscles. And oil massage offers much the same effect as hot, herbal rubbing treatment, another application of Thai massage.

The technique used is to tightly wrap a mixture of herbs in a piece of white cloth, making a palm-sized herbal ball called Look Prakob. Each spa center carries its won recipes for Look Prakob, but the main ingredients usually contain galangal root, zingiber, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, holy basil and sweet basil. These are all shredded and dried and then mixed with bornel and camphor before being Look Prakob. After steaming for 15-20 minutes (until hot but not scalding hot) the masseur rubs the Look Prakob around skin areas where pain or stress is identified. The herbal liquid resulting from steaming helps reduce muscle pains and stress.

Many women prefer a Thai spa because of its effectiveness and therapeutic values in terms of skincare. An herbal rub and scrub uses skincare herbs such as tamarind, lime, coconut, pineapple and many other citrus fruits.

An herbal scrub represents traditional Thai skincare that has a long history. In the old days, Thais enjoyed their daily herbal scrub when taking a bath. Sometimes they added zingiber or tumeric to the mixture depending upon personal preferences. In those days, Thai women had soft and vibrant skin tones. Today, many Thai spa therapy centers offer herbal scrubs as part of their services.

For facial and body treatments many herbs are used including cucumber, aloe vera, carrot and tomato. Their special properties include heat absorption and helping reduce body heat. Some may even choose to apply these herbal fruits and vegetables to heal wounds or clear black spots in the skin or treat scars. Simple to prepare and use, the produce is cleaned blended well together and left in the fridge for a while before the mixture is applied to the body. The herbal wrap should be applied after a body scrub, so that the skin condition is properly balanced, and then left on for 30 to 60 minutes.

In some Thai spas, therapy treatment will include an herbal sauna using steam heat to pervade the perspiring skin with herbal applications. However, it is recommended that after herbal steaming, the body should be bathed in cold water tighten the pores of the skin. Several spa centers have not yet provided this.

Water is an important part of a spa; a dip in an herbal baht should be the last step in spa therapy treatment. To prepare, shredded, freshly gathered herbs are mixed in warm water in the bathtub. Lying submerged in an aromatic herbal bath helps ease breathing, clear the brain and assist blood circulation. Once you are feeling stress-free and relaxed, it is easy to reenergize the entire body and this is the ultimate effect of Thai herbal spa therapy treatments being used today in Thailand.