how to tell thai massage therapist not to "stretch" me in some ways? she...

[rachiie]

...knows my back problem is? (left shoulder) but she sometimes still pulls/guides me into certain stretches/bends/folds that nearly negates the effect of the massage! she does a different of one this each time i go so it's hard to tell her what "stretch/pull"not to do on me beforehand. she doesn't speak much english so it's hard to tell her "you know i have left shoulder pain, please don't stretch/pull me ways that makes it worse, it sometimes negates the effect of the whole massage". when she does this after whatever she was doing prior, there is very little reaction time to say "no! stop!" bc there is not much time in between her previous move and this, also it's hard to be very alert and quick when you are being lulled by a massage. i am a student and i don't have a car. i need to come to this new place by my apartment that is cheaper than other places. please advise me

 

[Shama]

You need to communicate to your Thai Massage therapist that you want a gentle massage, if that's what you want. If there is no way to effectively communicate with the therapist, then I would say that you need to find another therapist. Thai Massage has a lot of stretches that can be quite intense, and if the therapist is not sensitive enough to pick up on your discomfort, then it is possible that some of those stretches may do more harm than good.

Effective communication is essential in Thai Massage because of the very real possibility to overdo some of those stretches. It won't help you to just get a massage because it is the cheapest place if it doesn't do you much good or if it is potentially injurious to you. A really good Thai Massage therapist should ask how far she can go with the stretches and should pick up on any client discomfort during the session. If that is not happening, then she is not a good therapist.