Jamu Massage: A Flower from Bali
By Naomi Serviss

Blushing pink rose petals. The wafting, interwoven scent of jasmine and coconut. Soothing music softly playing in a dimly lit room.

Welcome to Jamu massage.

This Asian-influenced, traditional therapy, relatively new to the West, incorporates the graceful Balinese heart with a healing philosophy that considers tending to the spirit as important a goal as treating the body. A Jamu massage is a beautiful dance between client and therapist, one that honors and offers healing to both.

Jamu massage is a type of bodywork gaining a strong foothold in the spa world, thanks in part to massage therapist Kim Collier. She and her husband made Bali their home for several years, where they learned the graceful Balinese way of life. Massage was an integral part of their daily ritual.

Collier's Jamu Asian Spa Rituals, in Whitefish, Montana, is an Eastern-inspired site that serves as an instructional facility as well as a spa. The training program incorporates elements of Chinese, Balinese and European massage styles, and appeals to therapists interested in expanding their knowledge base. As she trains therapists, Collier is successfully continuing a tradition used for thousands of years.

History and technique
The history and traditions of Jamu, which translates as 'herbal remedies used internally and externally,' first started in the palaces of Central Java. As a holistic-health system, Jamu incorporates various treatments, including massage.

Today, though, "The massage technique is not just for royalty, everyone practices massage in their lives," Collier says. "Massage is a way of life and a tradition there."

Unlike here, where an hour's massage averages around $60, she adds, "people go to the healer in the village, have a massage, and [payment is] really a love offering."

The massage part of the Jamu treatment reveals much history, blending Chinese, Hindu and European techniques picked up via the trade and exploratory routes that passed through Indonesia beginning in the 1500s.

"What makes this technique so different from other Asian-influenced ones is the dedication [to] health and herbal-based remedies.”

The Jamu massage session is a step-by-step process that utilizes distinct strokes: dry compression massage, thumb-walking, skin rolling, long oil strokes, percussion and wringing.

Only after the dry massage has been completed are essential oils added to the session. "We use aromatic oils in a coconut base, with spice, flower or fruit essence," Collier says. The client chooses the oil, which is then warmed in the therapist's hands and generously applied, beginning and ending on the client’s right side.

"It's really more of a dance between practitioner and client," Collier says. "We use long, rhythmic strokes with firm-to-medium pressure, acupressure, and an assortment of other techniques that help bring on a peaceful, qualitative experience."

"The benefits are so many," she adds. "Jamu is a balancing technique, and it is as relaxing as it is energizing. As you perform the deep-tissue movements, the energizing comes at the end of each series of long strokes when you apply light percussion on each medial limb." 

Flowers and spirit
The first thing a client typically senses upon entering a Jamu-prepared session room is the aroma of blossoms. Bright red or soft pink, the delicate petals (often from roses) pay homage to this ancient treatment's purpose: to recognize the intrinsically linked nature of mind/body and to honor the client.

Kim Logsdon, a massage therapist and owner of Escentials spa in Chico, California, has found Jamu an appealing technique on multiple levels. "It helps the client reduce stress [and] release tension, and a lot of what makes it so special is in the presentation," she says.

At Escentials, the essential oils used in Jamu, bottled in colored glass, sit in a handmade Balinese basket, surrounded by flower petals. Indonesian fabric completes the effect. The room looks beautiful, Logsdon says, and clients always remark on the eye-appeal.

While not necessarily an overtly spiritual experience, Jamu contains a meditative aspect, and the therapist is encouraged to practice his or her own reverence during the massage.

"Whatever their spirit tells them, we train therapists to acknowledge this in their own quiet way," Collier says.

For example, at the beginning and close of each session, the therapist might ask if it's OK to share the Balinese blessing, "Om suasti astu,” which means, “Peace in your heart and in the world.”

"Even if you're not thinking spiritual thoughts, it's hard to explain, but everyone I've done this on seems very affected," Logsdon says.

In addition to the spiritual aspect, there are historic and symbolic elements to a Jamu massage.

"Long, flowing strokes represent the circle of life and you end exactly where you begin, on the right side," Logsdon says. "Skin rolling is bringing out what is deep, to the surface. Wringing is symbolic of cleansing the body's tissue, 'wringing' out the impurities," while knuckling, she says, "is symbolic of staying on your spiritual path and 'knuckling back.' It's remembering where you come from."

Benefits derived from Jamu include increased circulation, intense relaxation and a sense of well-being. Granted, these are always goals for massage therapists regardless of techniques applied. However, those who practice Jamu say that clients apparently leave with a heightened sense of peace as well.

"It's a very meditative, rhythmic experience," says Christina Flink, the lead massage therapist at the spa at Four Seasons Las Vegas.

Growth in spas
Resorts and day spas from California to New York are adopting Jamu therapies.

"I'm doing more Jamu massage than other related treatment," Logsdon says.

Craig Newton, spa director at Four Seasons Las Vegas, notes the increasing popularity of Jamu at his facility. "It's really different, and people come here after hearing or reading about it and they want it. It's really special," he says.

Like other spas, those at the Four Seasons Las Vegas and the Four Seasons Santa Barbara consider the look of a room and presentation of technique essential in relaxing a guest and gaining confidence in the treatment - especially when it comes to Jamu.

"We have flowers everywhere," Flink says. "Under the face cradle, on the table before the client lays down and on the presentation tray. We describe the massage to them first, offer a choice of three different oils and carefully treat them with a spirit of kindness, balance and peace.

"We end with a scalp and neck massage, still using the oil chosen. We use acupressure on the face, and at the completion we place a flower petal behind the guest's ear and tell them, ‘Om suasti astu.’"

"Jamu is not only a trend," says Collier, "it's a way of life."