Thai Massage Parlors. Be Careful

A word of warning for tourists visiting Thai massages parlors.
I have visited many Thai massage parlors for the purpose of enjoying the therapeutic benefits of traditional Thai massage.
Reputable Thai massage parlors offer two types of massage, oil or traditional.
Oil massage tends to focus on the sensual while traditional focuses on remedial therapy.
Thai oil massage can also be remedial. A quality massage parlor will ask you if you want the oil massage to be harder or softer.
Generally, the Thai massage will be an all over affair, where the masseur works from the feet up, starting with you lying flat on your stomach.
In theory, the ritual is simple but disciplined and herein a problem arises.
Thai massage being a disciplined practice, handed down through the generations, does not always allow for flexibility.
Asians like their massages to be harder on the body, while Westerners are not used to the same treatment.
A scenario often occurs where a foreigner visits a shop only to find that the massage is more rigorous than expected.
The scenario unfolds in two ways. The visitor experiences extreme pain but does not want to feel embarrassed by complaining and instead suffers through the session.
The second possibility is that the visitor feels that the massage is a tad too hard but doesn’t think too much of it, because the pain seems mild and muddled with the more pleasurable aspects.
In the second case, sore necks and limbs manifest themselves later on. These injuries often linger for weeks.

Thai massage parlors can be disastrous. I have had dozens of massages in Thailand with varying results. I have had sore neck and feet, but mostly the experiences have been largely positive.
Some of my friends have had worse experiences.
It is important to remember that even quality massage parlors do employ students who only have basic training in Thai massage.
In summation: Do not visit a Thai massage parlor if you have any muscular problems because despite what they might claim, there is a good chance it will aggravate the injury.

Associated reading: Thai Cosmetic Plastic Surgery