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Herbal compresses are often combined with traditional Thai massage for the many benefits the herbal heat and oils offer the body.
Many of the herbs are also common to Thai cuisine, such as kaffir limes leaves, lemongrass and galangal root, used widely for their flavors and aromas! They contain many natural medicines that help to relieve inflammation, tone the internal organs, improve circulation and digestion, and well as toning and rejuvenating the skin.
Inhaling the steamed essential oils from a compress on your chest or under your neck is a wonderful way to clear sinuses and airways, and is natural aromatherapy for soothing anxiety, depression and other mental and emotional stress!
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With luxurious oils the traditional herbal therapy is transformed into a blissful spa experience, using the herbal compresses much like hot stones, plus the benefits of aromatherapy oils and medicinal essentials steamed right from their natural source!
These rich medicinal herbs are blended, wrapped and tied to make firm, fragrant bundles. The bundles are steamed hot, slowly releasing their revitalizing and healing essential oils, then pressed against the body during massage.
Moist heat radiates down through the tissues, melting tension and soreness away. Steam opens the pores and the skin breathes, drinking in the rejuvenating, enriching herbal oil blend while soothing, uplifting aromas open the senses and relax the mind. This one of the most natural aromatherapy spa treatments available, a truly unique experience!
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For some chronic conditions, even the lightest pressure or stretching can be too much! Fibromyalgia is one of the best examples, a condition where muscles are unable to completely relax on their own. The constant muscle tension may result in an ultra-sensitivity to pressure where even the weight of clothing or a gentle finger stroke across the skin can be very uncomfortable or painful.
Herbal compresses can be used to soothe these overworked and sensitive areas of the body, stimulating nerves and muscles that cannot be massaged directly. After a few sessions the body can tolerate more stretching and massage, allowing the practitioner to open the body further with each session, and eventually the pain and discomfort may subside altogether. Similar results are possible when treating many other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and osteo arthritis.
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The compresses used in Thailand can have any number of herbs in endless combinations, using everything from fresh leaves and flowers to fruits and earthy roots! The herbs are blended according to what the treatment needs, and sometimes more than one kind of compress is used. Sabai's compresses are fashioned using a traditional recipe from Northern Thailand for overall balance and a boost for the body, energy and mind! The contents may vary slightly, but listed below are a few of the most important ingredients.
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Eucalyptus
Popular for its enlivening scent, the aroma has an emotionally refreshing effect. Its powerful antiseptic properties kill germs and speed the healing of wounds and infections, while inhaling the steamed vapors or applying eucalyptus to the chest and throat are all effective treatments for colds, cough, congestion, asthma and other respiratory conditions.
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Lemongrass
This grass-like herb has a sharp, fresh, lemony aroma, making it a favorite additive in food, drinksand cosmetics. It is used in steam baths and hot compresses for its soothing yet invigorating properties, clearing the head and uplifting the mind. As a hot tea, lemongrass is a powerful remedy for soothing headaches and hangovers.
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Tumeric
Called khamin in Thai, turmeric is one of the key ingredients in healing concoctions. It is used internally to treat all manner of circulatory and digestive problems. It is also an efficient natural moisturizer and antiseptic, making it a popular ingredient in a wide variety of spa skin treatments.
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Galangal
While sharing many of the benefits Ginger offers, Galangal is often called Thai ginger but is not a ginger at all. Taken internally this root relieves many digestive ailments, while applied to the skin it is a strong antiseptic, generally tonifying it and treating skin diseases, and is often found in the spa as an ingredient in herbal body wraps.
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Kaffir Lime
The leaves of the kaffir lime tree have the invigorating citrus smell of the fruit itself, and while used in Thai cuisine to add the tangy flavor to soups and curries, when someone rips a leaf to pieces you'll want to just stand there and breathe it in. The vapors are not only uplifting, but treat respiratory ailments as well, while the oils on the skin act as a cleansing astringent.
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Ginger
Ginger is one of the most important herbs in Thai healing, and is known as a powerful stimulant that hasa heating effect on the body. While most of this herb's benefits come from its use in tea or cuisine, in hot compresses its oils boost circulation, ease muscle stiffness and, most importantly, increases the potency of all the herbs combined with it.
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Camphor
A family relation of cinnamon and arguably one of the most important ingredients, camphor is extracted and processed from tree resin, leaving a minty white powder. Somewhat a paradox, camphor is both a stimulant and a calmative, stimulating the brain, heart and circulation while relieving mental and emotional stress, anxiety and insomnia. Like eucalyptus, camphor does wonders for the sinuses and respiration when steamed and inhaled in baths or saunas. Used in compresses it soothes sore muscles and arthritis, and is a powerful nervine to treat nervous system disorders such as multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.
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