The fact UNESCO inscribes traditional Thai massage on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity is a great step forward in the path to recognition of an ancestral and effective Buddhist practice which has unfortunately been mistreated in recent decades by its use in massage parlors offering the "happy ending".
Here is what UNESCO says:
“ Nuad Thai ( Editor's note: or nuad bo'rarn ), traditional Thai massage , is considered part of the art, science and culture of traditional Thai care .
As a non-medical remedy and manual therapy , it involves bodily manipulation during which the practitioner helps to rebalance the patient's energies, structure, and body in order to treat ailments attributed to obstruction of energy flows along the “sen”, lines that crisscross the human body.
This manipulation aims to regulate the four bodily elements : earth, water, wind and fire.
To open blocked pathways, therapists who practice nuad thai perform a series of manipulations using their hands, elbows, knees and feet , which they combine with hot compresses made from herbs that reduce inflammation.
Nuad Thai currently falls into two main categories: therapeutic nuad Thai and nuad Thai intended for health promotion .
Nuad Thai has its origins in personal care applied in the past by Thai peasant society . Each village then had masseurs-healers whom the villagers consulted for their muscular problems, due to work in the fields.
Over time, this experience developed into a formal knowledge system , and Nuad Thai is today an income-generating profession.
In 1985, the Thai Massage Revitalization Project was launched to revitalize and improve the knowledge of Nuad Thai and an initiative was also taken to form an alliance of Nuad Thai practitioners who meet every year.
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