Herbal Medicine, Herbal Steambaths, Thai Traditional Massage, Traditional Thai Massage, Baan Hom Samunphrai, Therapeutic Massage, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Acupressure, Foot Reflexology

Traditional Thai Massage or 'Nuad Boran' needs no introduction. If you are interested in Baan Hom Samunphrai and have arrived at this point in our website, you certainly won't need to be persuaded of its value. Instead we have chosen a few images taken very recently of Maw Hom and her assistants at work in Chiang Mai, both at her own Centre and at 'The Association of Licensed Thai Traditional Healers' where she teaches the growing number of Thai Maw Nuads (Traditional Medicine Therapists) preparing for the new Ministry of Public Health exams. These happy therapists learned to do massage in the family when they were children, but still they have to study hard to get their government licenses.

Maw Hom teaching Thai therapists at the Mothers and Children hospital in Chiang Mai. No oil, no special attire, no equipment, no music, not even cotton sheets on the thin mats on this Clinic floor. What's special. on the other hand, is the ease and sense of well-being so obvious in these professional healers preparing for the new Thai Ministry of Public Health exams.

At Baan Hom Samunphrai, Thai Traditional Massage is at its purest and most authentic. We offer three forms: the technically rigorous 'Foot Massage' which takes about an hour, the 'Full Set' which takes about two hours, and the Full Therapeutic Massage which is open-ended and may last anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours or more depending on your needs, your flexibility, and the stage of your injury or problem -- Maw Hom offers diagnostic sessions for those with special health problems. Manipulation of the so-called 'acupressure points' and 'energy lines,' for example, is not part of the ordinary Thai Massage, and many foreigners will not have experienced this kind of massage before.

The atmosphere is more serious in our massage sala, needless to say, yet there is still that ease and intimacy that makes Thai massage such a profound experience. Baan Hom Samunphrai is very small, just four therapists all from the same family, and that is very much part of our special quality too. Thai massage has always been a family art practiced by people you know and trust.

There are many schools of Traditional Thai Massage in Thailand, and of course developments are coming back to Thailand from abroad all the time. On the left, Maw Hom is working with a Thai colleague while comparing notes with an acupuncturist from London. The partner on the right is a therapist from Paris who also teaches in Chiang Mai. Indeed, Nuad Boran has become a global art, and Maw Hom is a touchstone for people from all over the world who gather at her school and home to learn more..

THAI TRADITIONAL FOOT REFLEXOLOGY

Foot Massage is an elaborate ritual as well as a profound healing strategy--it is particularly poignant in those hot places in the world where shoes are left outside the door (look on the left and you'll see!). Here the massage therapist is 'Bang,' Maw Hom's sister-in-law -- her two little children, Up and Pop, spice up any activity at Baan Hom Samunphrai!

On the right Acharn Bang (in green) teaches Foot Reflexology in a 3 day workshop in her studio beside our pond. The work requires great concentration, and you obviously must be able to see what she's doing, so her classes are restricted to 3 or 4 students at a time.

     THAI TRADITIONAL MASSAGE SERVICES & RATES

Thai Traditional Massage

    Full Set (about 2 hrs) Bt 600   ($19.00)

    Full Set + Steambath + Pool (about 3 hrs) Bt 800   ($25.00)

    Full Set + Herbal Compresses + Pool (about 3 hrs) Bt 900   ($28.00)

Foot Massage (1 hour)

Bt 300

($9.00)

Therapeutic Massage (with Maw Hom, Bang, Kanit, or Paterne)

    Therapeutic Massage only (no set time)
            plus Steambath (no set time)
            plus Herbal Compresses (no set time)
    Womb-lifting with charcoal pot and compresses (no set time)
Bt 1000
Bt 1200
Bt 1300
Bt 1300
($31.00)
($37.00)
($41.00)
($41.00)

Herbal Steam Bath + Pool + Fresh Ginger Tea (1 hour)        Bt 200   ($6.00) per person

Dollar rates are calculated at 32 baht = $1.00.