Fit to be tried: Thai Massage

IT says something about our emerging multicultural society that here I am, laid out on the floor of a small north Dublin salon, with a beautiful woman from Mauritius pushing her bare feet hard into my thighs in an ancient ritual hailing from Thailand.

But between us, the combination of Irish, Mauritian and Thai influences work well to achieve a mix of relaxation, stretching and exercise that challenges your flexibility and improves your blood flow.

Thai massage is different to what you might expect from the traditional Western oil-and-rub experience.

For a start, there's no oil, and no rubbing or kneading and you soon discover why the literal translation for this treatment means 'Thai yoga'.

The therapy uses weight and leverage to move and stretch your body -- front, side, back and sitting.

"People are a bit dubious at first because it's very different, but they usually enjoy it and find it improves their ability to stretch and therefore relax," says Sherina, my petite Mauritian dynamo, who has been practising her craft for over seven years.

Sherina sticks to traditional Thai massage on a specially designed mat placed on the ground, and doesn't compromise by Westernising the process.

For example, she employs her feet to do much of the work as in this massage it's normal to walk on clients' backs.

But Sherina is so deft, you can only tell the difference between her use of feet and hands by sneaking a peek from your comfy position on the floor.

The treatment starts off with a pleasant salt rub on your feet. Then it's time to don loose cotton pyjamas and the real work begins. The treatment works along the body's meridians (energy lines), says Sherina.

She uses a combination of acupressure, joint manipulations, stretches and adjustments to release knots and tension and free blockages.

And you do plenty of the work as she helps you stretch and bend.

Some of the moves are quite tough -- like a challenging yoga class. Sherina gets you to lie on your stomach face down while she grasps your hands and you hold on tight to her small wrists while she pulls you up into an arched bow shape.

Another move involves lying on your back, arms outstretched, as each leg is stretched over to the opposite side of your body across your tummy, shoulders remaining flat.

Hamstrings are also stretched right out, as well as hips.

The whole body gets elongated through a set of exercises and Sherina helps you achieve positions it would be tough to manage solo.

As someone who suffers from a sore shoulder I would have probably liked a bit more done to this area, but to be fair deep tissue work is not the aim of Thai massage.

The treatment, known in Thailand as 'movement education', gets your blood flowing and is very detoxifying.

Although Thai massage therapists here say people were dubious at first, this treatment -- part stretch, part relax, part workout -- is, not surprisingly, a hit, and Sherina is booked out for the rest of the week.

In Thailand the benefits of this treatment are well established, and the government has even set up an official massage division as part of the Department of Health.

Since our own Government can do nothing to massage our finances into shape, maybe we should follow suit.

It's enough to make you want to head for sunny Thailand -- purely in the interests of research of course.