Spa Therapies Of Indonesia
Indonesian Massage:
Practitioners of traditional Indonesian medicine have used massages effectively for centuries and often complement them with herbal brews and other treatments in traditional healing. Traditional Indonesian massage can be classified into two main types: urut and pijat – urut is the Indonesian word for massage and pijat is the Javanese word for massage. The word ‘pijat‘ is also used to refer to an Indonesian masseur. The urut is more frequently used to treat medical conditions, such as bone fractures and chronic backaches. This massage works on muscles and nerve pathways to encourage blood circulation and aids the removal of toxins by way of stimulating the lymphatic system. Therapists who practise urut often possess some knowledge of acupressure, acupoints and nerve pathways. In this respect urut is influenced by TCM as it uses Chinese meridian networks to seek out acupoints. The therapist may use his fingers, palm, knuckles, fist and even his entire body during an urut. Hence, some people find it uncomfortable, even unbearably painful, but the results of the massage make it all worthwhile.
A pijat, on the other hand, is much gentler and more relaxing. It does not require as much technical knowledge and thus is widely practised in villages. The massage comprises simple repetitive squeezing movements between the palm and fingers. The therapist generally works to relax tensed muscles and it is upto the masseur to judge how much strength should be used in the kneading and squeezing.
Specially blended massage oils are used for both massages. The effects of a massage are usually immediate: your face will glow and you will feel wonderfully relaxed. Only a few sessions are needed to help you completely relax, or, as the Indonesians believe, attain a balanced inner harmony.
