The promise
The treatment will reinvigorate tired limbs and renew energy through a series of deep tissue massages.
Step-by-step
There are a fair few elements that separate a Thai massage from many of the others TOAD regularly tries. Firstly, our therapist seems to be making our back click by burying her knee into it. Secondly, we’re wearing clothes and no oils are being used. Thirdly, Mrs Sherwood is here having the same treatment done on a table next to us, in the Dusit Thani’s couples’ room in its Namm Spa.
Thai massage is said to have originated more than 2,500 years ago and is a combination of influences from Indian, Chinese and South East Asia healing philosophies. There’s big claims about the benefits of regularly doing it, including it’ll improve breathing, posture and blood circulation, reduce back pain and muscle fatigue and it can even, apparently, slow down the ageing process.
It also differs from most massages we’ve had because it’s not the most relaxing of experiences. But this is not a bad thing. While most treatments end up with a TOAD operative snoring loudly on the treatment table, this one left us feeling alert, spritely and with very loose, liberated limbs.
We’re given ginger tea with honey before we start and after filling in the usual forms about any health issues we might have, we’re left to put on our white trousers and top and lie face down on the tables.
Elegant, relaxing Thai music wafts out of the speaker system and our therapists get to work. Thai massage is all about stretching and pressure. Thighs, calves and backs are worked like a baker kneading a loaf of bread and our therapists literally clamber over us and twist our bodies into positions we didn’t think were possible; and it’s clear our limbs also didn’t believe it, if the loud cracks are anything to go by. One twist of our back in particular results in an audible click which, while slightly painful, is especially satisfying (a bit like when you are let loose on some bubble wrap). The treatment lasts for 90 minutes and by the end of it, muscles we didn’t even know we had had been massaged and stretched beyond recognition.
The results
We leave feeling extremely loose and refreshed. Bizarrely, instead of wanting to rest and have a snooze, it makes us want to go out for a run.
Pros
The spa is beautiful and calming, with elegant white curtains creating a nice ambiance between the rooms. It’s a great treatment for working every muscle in your body and we think it would be particularly good for athletes.
Cons
It’s not the most relaxing massage you can have, as some of the pressure applied can hurt (but no pain, no gain) and we did both complain of aching legs the next day, but this was probably as much down to unfit limbs and wouldn’t necessarily be the case for everyone.
4/5
The Thai massage cost Dhs600 for 90 minutes per person. Namm Spa, Dusit Thani Hotel (02 698 8888).
