Traditional Thai Treatments on Koh Samui:

"Santi Lunli is a far cry from your usual massage therapist on Koh Samui. He is a male practitioner of traditional Thai medicine with thousands of satisfied clients from all over the world. His clients like him so much that they take him back to their countries of origin to work on an occasional basis. He has just returned from a three month stint in Greece and somebody is presently trying to entice him to Norway.
He was born and raised in Bang Na, situated on the south eastern outskirts of Bangkok, quite close to what is now Suvarnabhumi International Airport. When he was 17 a horrific accident befell him when he was electrocuted by a high power cable. Five days later he collapsed and found himself unable to walk. His distraught parents rushed him off to the Dr. who said there was nothing he could do, suggesting the boy remain an invalid for life. But his wise grandmother was steeped in the ways of traditional Thai medicine. She took him to see an old lady called Kanchon. She massaged his body, used hot rocks to smooth damaged muscle and tendon and made up powerful medicines made from local herbs. Many Thais had turned their backs on this old form of healing in favor of western allopathic medicine, but Santi’s case was to prove them mistaken. In a long series of treatments spanning more than a year the old healer was able to get the young man to walk again! What was more; she taught him her massage skills and schooled him in herbal lore. It was something for him to do during treatment but once he was well, his interest swiftly waned. Santi was young and business interested him. He wanted to make money and acquire the good things in life like houses, cars and electronic goodies. He found business easy and quickly established a successful tailoring outlet which made it easy to amass material wealth. His business thrived for ten years, but he was beginning to get bored. It was all too easy. He decided the time had come to use the knowledge he had gained in his own healing. He went to work in the Khao San area in a series of massage establishments. He extended his skills with the experience and further study at Wat Poh, the temple of the reclining Buddha situated besides the Grand Palace in Ratnakosin. This is the foremost centre offering education in massage and Thai traditional medicine.
Fourteen years ago he decided to re-locate to a much quieter Koh Samui. At that time there were four teachers offering training in Thai healing arts and he came to learn from them.
His specialty is pressure or trigger point massage. This focuses on releasing hyperirritable muscle knots that can refer pain all over the body. He used to have a shop on the ring road on the outskirts of Maenam. Over time he felt this location to be unsuitable and has subsequently moved to the Temple Khao Hua Jook Road which loops down from the ring road south of Tesco Lotus to link with access to Chaweng Lake and beyond. The place is reasonably easy to find, just look out for the big sign. You do, however, need to make an appointment as he is too busy to see people wandering in off the street. His rooms are clean and air conditioned comfortable.
If you have specific problems he will diagnose the problem and if you are not too sure he will soon set you right on what is going on. It is unlikely he will be able to heal you in a single session but will give some indication of the number of sessions required to achieve success. His techniques help overcome pain, weight problems, toxicity and a myriad of other issues. Over the years the island has gained a reputation as a centre for fasting and body detoxing. Many spas and resorts have sprung up to answer this need. Santi offers an altogether superior treatment at a considerably lower cost. Many detoxers have found him and flock back to see him regularly. Concerning Detox, his knowledge of herbs makes him a specialist. He makes up the medicines for visitors whilst residents are required to boil up the packs in their own kitchens and drink the mixture two or three times per day. Such treatment does not blend well with fasting!
If you are experiencing long standing health issues, you can ring him on +66 89-4711 to make an appointment. He will be able to check out what is going on and advise you on an appropriate form of treatment."
By Alister Bredee who is a partner in Health Ambit Consultancy in Koh Samui, Thailand. He is an author and writer who is the originator of Ambit Healing, that has contributed to change in many people's lives.