Page 107 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

best, as lack of sight is thought to heighten their sense of touch; furthermore, the

delicate questions regarding modesty are bypassed. Thanks to the massage
courses run by Jakarta’s School for the Blind, the services of such massage
experts are still available.
In Indonesia, massage establishments range from small, run-down shops to
large salons; from joints where a cursory oily rub leads to sex, to dedicated
clinics with highly skilled therapists. An example of the latter is the Puri Ayu
salon owned by famous jamu-producer, Martha Tilaar. Although prices are far
from budget, the results are worth the investment. Outside major towns, where
the emphasis is on health; people often weigh up the cost of visiting a doctor,
who may be more than a couple of hours’ journey away, and often plump for a
massage instead. A good masseur commands enormous respect and status in a

community.

Stone reliefs at the most famous of Javan stupas, borobudur, depict a massage taking place.

The Technique
Practitioners of both pijat and urut massage often begin by saying a silent prayer

or repeating a mantra asking for the recovery of their patient and seeking God’s
help. The ritual gives both patient and healer a psychological boost and
reinforces the masseur’s belief in her curing ability. Her next task is to transfer
this strength to the patient’s body by either rubbing or shaking her hands over it.
It is believed that energy fields inside and surrounding the body may be changed
through prayer, which in turn may affect a person’s health.
The patient lies face down on a hard surface, usually the floor, while the
masseur works her way from legs to head, back and front, belching loudly as she
goes. The reason for this practice? pijat practitioners of the old school are