Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of Thai Massage

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Having a bookshelf full of books on Thai Massage & Traditional Thai Healing, this is by far my favorite. I was introduced to Pierce's writing thru his first book "A Thai Herbal" and was impressed but I feel Encyclopedia of Thai Massage is by far his best work. You can feel his passion for preserving Thai Massage as a traditional form of Thai Healing thru it's pages. I also appreciate that it is based soley on just that, the traditions of Thailand w/o real outside influences. I was amazed with the extensive photography, charts and cross refrences. As a TM practioner the charts on page 195 and 207 of correlations of symptoms, acupressure points and sen lines are great to reference. I'd say no matter if you are a beginner or advanced practioner this is really the best book out there if you are interested in truly preserving the art of classic thai massage!

It is obvious that this author has a solid knowledge of Thai Massage on both an academic and experiential level. His explanations of technique are easy to understand. The photographs shown are detailed. Contraindications are addressed and common practitioner errors discussed. I especially appreciate his advice to use the text as a supplement to more formal instruction...proof of his passion to maintain the integrity of the art of Thai massage. Thanks Pierce! I'm sure that your teachers are quite proud.

This book takes you from start to finish of a full body Thai massage routine. The descriptions and pictures are very detailed and easy to understand. This book gives all the information from the setting of the room to contraindications for the novice or experienced practicioner. He also gives the tradition and a knowledge of Thai culture. I have recently been to Thailand to study massage, it has changed my bodywork practice for the better ( I'm a massage therapist/ yoga teacher) and it is because of this book and its author.

Okay, here is the deal. I have read a gazillion books on Thai massage. Okay, maybe not quite that many, but sometimes it feels like it. For a long time I wished and wished that someone would write a book that went beyond the initial basic sequence that is taught in so many schools. Then I found the Encyclopedia of Thai Massage. It led me to contact the author, train extensively with him, return to Thailand for even deeper training, and open a Thai massage school. Yes, this book was the catalyst for life change. Have I mentioned that it's the best one out there? Nothing nothing nothing replaces hands on training with a qualified teacher for learning Thai massage - books can be no more than reminders and supplemental material to real training. This said, Pierce's book is the best one out there in the english language that has yet been written.

This is wonderful book for any level of Thai practicioner. It has very clear and concise pictures and descriptions, as well as shows you how to do a maneuver correctly and incorrectly. Great resource for learning about thai basics to experienced level. Would reccommend to any who were looking for a Thai book. I loved mine so much that I showed it to my therapist who does Thai on me and now am ordering one for him because he liked mine so well he didn't want to give it back. :)

This book entitled "Encyclopedia of Thai Massage" is so comprehensive and really is one of the most creative and educational books I've come across on this topic. This book translates exceptionally well to the practice of Thai Massage.

I have read and re-read this book so many times that I need a new copy. It is my favorite reference book for Thai massage! The photos and descriptions are great, with excellent correlations to yoga poses throughout. This book depicts the Northern style of Thai Massage and refers to it as an important branch of traditional medicine, as opposed to just another spa treatment. The author lived in Thailand and spent time teaching at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai.

I agree with "Beyond Expectations", the author put alot of work into this book. I highly recommend.

This book is exactly what it says, an encyclopedia! As a Thaimassage practitioner myself I find this book very thorough. All the postures in the northern style of Thaimassage are included. Very interesting is also the comparisons to the "normal" yoga postures. This way you can see in what way Thai massage can help you with your yoga. Not so strange that this kind of massage is also known as Thaiyoga massage.

This really is a great book. As we all probably know, nothing is as good as taking the classes themselves (i.e. Tai Chi, Yoga, Arts and crafts), but a close comparison. It does help if you have a decent understanding of anatomy, but not entirely to still be able to learn to do a decent Thai massage. I am a massage therapist myself, and was using this book to learn techniques to help with my massages, but may offer just Thai massage when I feel comfortable enough with the material presented in this book. Happy reading.