Authentically Thai: An interview with Chitlada

We all have days when we feel that our muscles are all knotted up – literally and figuratively! Any amount of stretching does not help to release the knots. So what is causing it? One possible answer is trigger points which are painful knots/ points on an already taut muscle. These can be caused due to overuse or improper use, fatigue, sedentary lifestyle or injury.

This is when someone usually recommends a massage!

So what exactly is the connection between trigger points and Chitlada, you might ask ! It is Everything!

I met Chitlada, lovingly known as Toi to her friends, around two years ago in Dubai – a calm, energetic and highly motivated lady from Thailand with a beautiful smile. She is a chef, entrepreneur, mother of two girls and someone who takes time to give back to the society in more ways than one.

Chitlada along with her husband Tai own and run the Taiy Pradit Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center. They were one of the first batch of rehabilitation centers to receive Dubai Health Authority license around 17 years ago. The centre has DHA qualified physiotherapists and skilled Thai massage specialists who can work miracles on trigger points.

Chitlada is a true believer in making her own destiny, yet humble and true to her Thai roots. She followed her dream of opening her own business and now empowers other women as her employees.If there is any sports event in Dubai, Chitlada and her team are there, volunteering their service of sports therapy and cheering on the participants.

Personally, I have always been in love with Thailand – their temples, Buddhism and of course the authentic Thai massage. This interview was an opportunity for me to learn more about this traditional healing system. Additionally, as an alternate therapy, healing and massage are of high interest not just to me, but many others who practice yoga and/or other physical activities.

Please find below an excerpt from the interview with Chitlada :

What is Thai Massage and how is it beneficial to people?

It is a treatment that uses the special skills of acupressure and the concept of special pressure points. It strengthens the mind and body and relieves any pain and tension that the person may feel.

Thai massage improves the circulation of blood and lymph in the body through stretching and loosening. The Thai traditional massage is a perfect preparation to warm up muscles and body before training for athletic event.

What is the main motivation to start and run the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center?

I wanted people to be aware of the health benefits of Thai massage as an alternate therapy. I also want to help the community in Dubai explore the idea of traditional Thai massage and foot reflexology and help them understand how it is helpful for both body and the mind.

How do people benefit from your sessions?

Our clients thoroughly benefit from our relaxing sessions because it helps relieve muscle pain and spasticity as well as joint stiffness and pain. (Spasticity is when certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement, speech and gait.)

Our massages increase flexibility and range in motion. It stimulates circulation and lymphatic drainage, boost energy, enhance physical strength and much more.

We provide sports massage and trigger point therapy for relieving sports related or life style related muscle tightness and pain. In addition, our signature treatment will have our DHA qualified Physiotherapist work along with the massage therapist to come up with a treatment plan for the customers.

Our sports treatment includes massage with essential oil to increase blood circulation and elimination of toxins. The trigger point therapy uses acupressure techniques to release stress and trigger points.

What about sports injuries?

When people have minor sports injuries, we have our physiotherapist check on the injured area and based on the need, they decide whether to use the medical equipment or have our Thai massage therapist focus on that area until pain is minimised. Moreover, we give them exercises to do at home for quicker healing.

You have been running this for 17 years? How do you ensure that you have return customers?

Our customers return because of the magic touch of the therapists. Thai people don’t speak much English, but they work from the heart. They are service oriented and hard working and our center has truly grown mainly through word of mouth.

As this is a service industry, customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. We are constantly training our staff on the different techniques of Thai massage to further develop their understanding. We have a physio therapist in our center who tutors the staff on anatomy to help them improve their understanding of the human body.

In addition, we listen to our clients/patient’s feedbacks to help enhance our service and treatment.

I know that you are also a yoga practitioner yourself. is it something that you were practicing in Thailand or you picked up recently?

Yoga is something that has peaked my interest for a really long time but I have never practiced it until recently. For the last 4 years, I am continuously practicing and learning more about yoga. I have been taught by different yoga instructors; whether they are from Thailand or India.

My first impression of yoga was the many health benefits that it had for the body and mind such as weight loss and anti-aging. But as I read more about it, I am truly beginning to understand the benefits in many more ways. Doing yoga also makes me more relaxed, calm and reduces stress.

Do you see yoga practitioners benefiting from your center? How?

When yoga practitioners are treated with our massages, it helps to improve their flexibility and they can have a wider range in motion. Our employees are also able to do techniques that increase your flexibility by supporting them whilst doing a massage procedure that is similar to a yoga pose.

Unfortunately, this is all we had time for, even though I had many more questions for Toi.

Dubai is indeed a land of opportunities, and I love the fact that we have access to authentic and therapeutic Thai massage right at the center of Dubai.

Thank you Toi for your time and thoroughly enjoyed learning about Thai massage and its benefits from you.

Before I sign off, I wanted to give you a review from one of my very close friends and confidants who is a strong believer of Taiy Pradit Centre. She had the following to say about the treatment:

“When I took this massage for the first time, I left on a high. My body and mind was relaxed like never before. I came home and slept like a baby. I had 4 sessions in all and I absolutely love it and recommend it to everyone. It is very professional and the quality of service was exceptional. “

Thai massage is useful for boosting energy levels and stress reduction and I am sure we can all benefit from a good massage on a regular basis. So do check out Toi’s Rehabilitation centre.