Thai Massage Therapy
Thai massage therapy blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of therapeutic touch and the dynamic power of movement. This therapy is a deeply healing and powerful combination of rhythmic massage, acupressure, deep stretching, gentle twisting, energy work, meditation, and metta--loving kindness--all rolled into one experience. This work aims at stimulating the flow of healing energies within the body, opening areas which are blocked. The result is a balanced body, mind and spirit where harmony of health, happiness and wellness of being are integrated. Thai Massage Therapy is a floor massage where the fully dressed client lies on a mat. A session is a flowing dialog between client and practitioner, akin to a dance or martial arts form. The client is passive and completely supported in all positions by the therapist. To give and to receive Thai Massage is a meditative practice. At the end of a one and a half or two- hour treatment, both the receiver and the therapist will feel relaxed and energized.
The many therapeutic benefits of Thai Massage Therapy are appropriate for everyone. This therapy is profoundly effective in treating a variety of physical and emotional complaints, while bringing relaxation, balance and more awareness to the recipient as a whole. It is an excellent complement for yoga practitioners and people with sore muscles from regular exercise or repetitive stress i.e. dancers, runners, cyclist, martial artists, performers.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing with underwear, and do not wear skirts or shorts. If you have any special conditions such as acute injury or pregnancy, please inform us at the time of booking.

About your massage therapist: Melissa Haeckel, LMT, B.A., extensively trained in Thai Massage Therapy at the heart of its origins in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She traveled to Thailand to study Buddhism and Fine Arts as a college exchange student and discovered Thai Massage Therapy along her journey. During in her stay in Thailand, she became interested in Buddhism and yoga and began receiving instruction in Vipassana meditation at a forest monastery outside of Chiang Mai. She received a Fulbright fellowship to study advanced Thai literature studies at Chiang Mai University.
        Melissa lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand for three years, studying and practicing Thai Massage Therapy with some of the great masters of this art. The Traditional Medical School of Thailand certified Melissa in Traditional Thai Massage with a specialty in acupressure and Thai Herbal Medicine. She holds additional certification in Nerve Touch Thai Massage from the Lek Chaya School of Traditional Thai Massage, Chiang Mai Thailand and by Allison Longstreth of East-West College of Healing Arts, Portland, Oregon.
        Melissa is a graduate of East-West College of the Healing Arts 800 hour program, where she received solid training in muscular therapies, anatomy and physiology, and Asian Bodywork therapies. Her concise and compassionate approach to Thai Massage Therapy is specifically designed to provide a safe method of integrating the Eastern approach to body, mind and spirit with the Western understanding of the physical body.
        Each treatment is tailored to the client and his or her individual constitution and needs. Melissa uses her knowledge of acupressure point therapy to address pain management, as well as her experience of yoga and kinesthetic awareness to each individual session. Her highest aim is to bring individuals into a state of union with themselves, with each other, and with the divine.

Rates:
90 minutes $100 /120 minutes $130
40 minute extra acupressure treatment (may be added to any treatment) $40.00

Melissa offers Thai Massage Therapy on Thursday, Friday and Sunday at Yoga Pearl.
To schedule an appointment, please contact the studio at 503-525-9642
Gift certificates are available at Yoga Pearl.
Cancellations made with less than 24-hours notice are subject to charge at full price.
Cash and check only (credit cards not accepted at this time).