Fun Fact Friday
Massage From Around the World: Taiwanese Knife Massage
Based on a 2,000 year old Buddhist tradition, Chinese knife massages are now available in China, Taiwan and Japan – and some Western cities’ Chinatown’s. Knife massage is administered according to the meridian theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the intention that the knives stimulate energy (qi) along a person’s meridians by clearing up congestion. During a knife massage, the client lies in a prone position or leans forward in a sitting position with a thin cloth covering the back. The therapist taps the sharp edge of the knife’s blade along the back’s energetic pathways.
Using a chopping motion, Chinese knife massage is not as relaxing as other forms of massage but it is known for its ability to relieve back pain. Although the knives are sharp, the skin is not cut in a properly executed knife massage. In China and Taiwan, meat cleavers are the tool of choice; in Japan, therapists use samurai swords.
Learn More at: http://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/archives/2014/08/unusual-massages-aroun
d-the-world-surprising-massage-tools.html