Page 110 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

putting strain on the heart. An urut expert would be well aware of these

anatomical factors, whereas the average pijat masseur would not. Urut massage
is precise and highly technical and bearing with the initial discomfort is
worthwhile. The feeling of well-being after a good urut massage is
indescribable. Backache, stress, aching shoulders, tense muscles and headaches
fade away. The biggest bonus for many women is that cellulite melts away after
six to eight sessions. You may feel drained and sleepy after the initial shock to
the system, but following a few one to two hour appointments, you’ll be dozing
off during treatment. It is a most relaxing experience.
Massage releases endorphins—the body’s equivalent of morphine— into
the system, and this may make a client crave another treatment. While a light
daily massage cannot do any harm, once the body is toned and healthy no more

than two healing massages per week are recommended, because excessive
massage is counter-productive. Clients who become addicted can end up
damaging their muscles, which become flabby. Furthermore, sensitive areas like
the feet can become very sore from excessive massage. By the third or fourth
session with a pijat masseur, the pain practically disappears. The masseur has
beaten most of the knots and bumps into submission and thereafter the body only
needs a regular maintenance programme.

COPING WITH A TROPICAL CLIMATE

When Sue Burden first arrived in Indonesia, she could not tolerate the tropical climate. Unusually
heavy perspiration, exhaustion and pain in her legs and hips made going out a major task. This would
be a handicap for many, but for a photographer it spelt disaster.
Over two years she tried dozens of prescription drugs, to no avail. Finally, she decided to try
traditional healing, and braved a two-hour drive, early one morning, to the Puncak mountains to see
Pak Haji Asyhar Fauzi.
She arrived at his clinic where up to 600 patients are seen each Sunday. The wait lasted hours,
but she was finally shown into the treatment room, where Pak Haji treated her to “deep scratching”
on her feet, knees, lower back and neck. Pak Haji then dressed each scratch. Later at home, Sue
found the only signs of her visit to the Puncak healer were a few marks on the most sensitive areas,
which cleared up the following day. Within two days, Sue reported feeling 80 per cent better.
Three weeks later, the symptoms started to return, so Sue set out for a second visit, this time
armed with a doctor’s report stating she had low blood pressure. Pak Haji welcomed this Western
diagnosis and repeated his earlier performance. This time Sue announced she felt all but cured. By
the time she left Indonesia two months later, her health had improved enormously. Ask Pak Haji what
method he uses and he points upwards, saying, “It’s nothing to do with me—I just let God guide my
hands—it’s his work, not mine.”

In many cases, the masseur’s job does not stop at massage. If he is from the