The magic of manipulation

After living with chronic shoulder pain for decades, Pannin Kitiparaporn, CEO of Siam Niramit, finally found that traditional Thai massage offered a way to alleviate her ailment. Now she wants to share her discovery with others at her Baan Nuad Thai (Thai Massage House), where massage master Atikorn Juntaraprapha has been called in to help people with similar problems.

Pannin recalls her suffering before she discovered Thai massage.

"I couldn't wear a coat because it was too heavy for my shoulders," she explains.

"I would rather have had a truck run me down to kill the pain."

Any ill-timed movement or wrong gesture would cause her pain. Her circulation began to suffer, which led to headaches, and the only solution she had was to take painkillers prescribed by the doctor.

But she finally found relief when she had her first Thai massage seven years ago.

"I'd heard about traditional Thai massage, but always ignored it," says Pannin.

But, since that first massage, she's been unable to live without a masseur to help relieve the pain.

Due to changing lifestyles, many city people suffer negative effects from their daily routine - especially those who work at a computer eight hours every day. But pain from tension seems to affect people from all walks of life.

Actress Pornpaka Siangsomboon says that after long hours of filming, she often needs a massage to ease her muscles. However, she opts for a traditional one, not the aromatherapy sort.

"The audience never knows about the stress of crying or getting angry for a scene. I feel that tension and need a real massage afterwards to take it away," she says.

Pannin is glad to help. Her massage centre not only offers a beneficial health experience, but also a cultural one. It is part of the Thai village at Siam Niramit, which is home to Bangkok's most extravagant theatre.

The venue features elaborate performances and also showcases traditional lifestyles.

"It's my way of trying to preserve our culture - painlessly," says Pannin.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation