I knew it was going to be good when I received this direct message from Fred DeVito last weekend:

SIX hours? Fred, who is part of the founding team of exhale and Core Fusion, had spent 3 hours giving and 3 hours receiving Thai Massage Therapy the Saturday of this tweet. As I learned during our session last Friday, something unique about this treatment is that it is also highly beneficial for the person giving the treatment, serving as a form of exercise.

True Thai Therapy doesn’t take place under a towel on a massage bed; it’s done on a padded surface on the floor in yoga clothes, so anything is possible. Rather than just digging in deep with their hands, Thai Massage requires the use of the therapist’s elbows, knees, feet, balance, and inner core strength. Many of the techniques are actually yoga poses–there were a few times during the treatment I had to open my eyes just to see what which of Fred’s body parts were doing what! His heels dug into my arms while his hands worked my lower back (sort of like a 4-handed massage) and then he’d seemingly be balanced on his head with his elbows massaging my calves, while simultaneously wedging a pillow under my backside and bending my body into a glowing C-shaped beacon of relaxation–or something like that.

As opposed to traditional table massage, Thai Massage (formerly called Body Enlightenment at exhale) mobilizes your joints and stretches your entire body. It’s great for athletes who need both deep tissue attention and proper full body stretching.  It is more rigorous and energizing than your average rubdown, and after a stressful week served as an invigorating rebirth of my mind and body.

While I rested silently on the mat when the treatment was over I’m pretty sure I was supposed to turn off my thoughts, but I couldn’t help but think about how many exciting elements of this treatment I wanted to blog about! Try Thai Massage for yourself and let us know what you think.

Apologies: Live-streaming of this treatment has been postponed until further notice.

We sent guest blogger Sarah Berkley to test out one of our Spa Week treatments, a Thai Poultice Massage, because she spent last summer in Thailand, giving her an authentic basis for comparison. Turns out things happen a little differently in Las Vegas… (and there’s definitely no Spa Week in Thailand)!

Having been to Thailand and gotten a few fabulous full body massages on the beach there, I thought I knew exactly what to expect when arriving at The Spa at ARIA in Las Vegas for a 50 minute Thai Poultice Massage. What I did not know, was what a poultice was. A poultice is basically a little warm sponge type thing (think of a half a lemon you sometimes get in a restaurant when you order salmon) infused with lemongrass, ginger and some other delicious smelling herbs.

I arrived about an hour early to take full advantage of the spa’s hot tub and steam room. I also spent a few minutes laying out on their outdoor deck which overlooks the main pool area with it’s own private pool. After that first hour, I was already completely relaxed, however the Thai Poultice Massage melted my body even more.

There are aspects of the massage that are very common, it’s a full body massage but then they rub the warm poultice all over you in a way that massages, exfoliates, warms and lightly tickles your body all at the same time. Mix that in with some stretches (which was perfect after my 4 mile run the day before) and I could not be anymore blissful.

When the massage ended and I wiped away a tear, I was taken to another area of the spa, which one can take full advantage of after a treatment. There is a room filled with hot stone beds (called Gabanyoku) where you simply lie down on a hot surface and close your eyes. After that, I visited the Shio Salt Room where you sit in a comfy chair with headphones on, and the chair vibrates to the music. My masseuse, Renee, explained that the walls are made of salt, which is extremely good for your upper respiratory system. Apparently, salt miners are in the right profession because they have a history of rarely ever getting respiratory diseases.

Book an appointment now for Spa Week at the ARIA! Check out the treatment offerings for Fall Spa Week, September 13-19.