Masseur combines Thai massage with local style<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie --10pts Metrolight<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A key to running a successful business is
\ninterpersonal communication.<\/p>\n
While Umi Mahyudah, 29, a timid woman from the Kendal region
\nof Central Java, realized this she was unable to put it into
\naction.<\/p>\n
She likes to work without words.<\/p>\n
As a result, she failed at managing a number of businesses
\nuntil she moved with her husband from her hometown in early 1990
\nto the capital city, where she started a massage parlor.<\/p>\n
\"Like many residents of Kendal, Umi always feels ashamed to
\nspeak with people other than her relatives,\" said her husband,
\nRudi, 54.<\/p>\n
The story of her business dates back to her experience in
\n1985, when she met a Singaporean businessman who treated a
\nmigraine that had plagued her for four-years.<\/p>\n
She was a high school student in Kendal at that time, while
\nthe businessman, also a grandmaster of the Thai traditional
\ntherapeutic massage, was working on a fish farm project in the
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
After a series of treatments spanning three weeks by Sengchai
\nTantinarasak, a graduate in Thai massage from the Phra Chetupon
\nBuddhist Temple in Bangkok, she was freed from piercing pain of
\nthe headache.<\/p>\n
Later, Umi and Grandmaster Tantinarasak were married.<\/p>\n
In February 1990, Umi asked her husband, nicknamed Rudi, to
\nteach her and her sister, Murtisari, 23, Thai therapeutic massage
\nfor her new business.<\/p>\n
After an intensive course, the two passed a test conducted at
\nthe Wat Po Traditional Thai Medical School of the Phra Chetuphon
\nBuddhist Temple in June, 1991.<\/p>\n
In February of last year, they completed a special course in
\nBangkok and were certified by the Traditional Thai Massage
\nConservation Association at Awut temple as qualified instructors
\nof Thai therapeutic massage.<\/p>\n
\"During our short stay there, we communicated only with body
\nlanguage,\" Umi noted.<\/p>\n
A month later, she set up a foundation called Yayasan Pijit
\nBerdiploma Indonesia (Indonesian Certified Massage Foundation),
\nwhich educates would be masseuses and gives massages to people
\nsuffering from illnesses caused by heavy stress.<\/p>\n
The foundation is headed by Umi, while Murtisari is its
\nsecretary.<\/p>\n
Recruits<\/p>\n
Temporarily located on Jl. Persada Raya 50, Menteng Dalam,
\nCentral Jakarta, the foundation has recruited 11 staff, most from
\nCentral Java, and has served hundreds of patients, including
\npublic figures like government critic Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin.<\/p>\n
The centers literature states that Thai therapeutic massage
\nstops stress and related ailments like chronic headaches, stomach
\naches, insomnia, depression, impotence, frigidity and back pains.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, there are hundreds of massage parlors, including
\nthose adopting the initial of Thai massage on their signboards.
\nAs elsewhere in the world, many of these are fronts for brothels.<\/p>\n
Umi says that her clinic is serious about massage and that no
\nother \"services\" are provided there.<\/p>\n
A 30-year-old woman said: \"I've only had a massage twice
\nbefore in my life, to help recover my chronic headaches and
\nmenstruation problem. But, I always had a bad feeling after the
\nmassage. This time, I think that I'm at the right place.\"<\/p>\n
The treatment at the clinic is conducted in at least two hours
\nin a bid to help the blood circulation run properly.<\/p>\n
Currently, the foundation charges Rp 25,000 (US$11.60) per
\nhour of massage. However, extra charges are collected from
\ncustomers who ask to be served at their homes.<\/p>\n
According to Reuters a two-hour Thai massage in Beijing,
\nChina, costs $176.<\/p>\n
As business is brisk Umi plans to modify the Thai massage with
\nthe many Indonesian massage styles, including those from Java,
\nSunda, Madura, Bugis and Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"We also try to adopt massages from our own country and hand
\ndown the massage therapy to as many local people as we can,
\nthat's why we named it Yayasan Pijit Berdiploma Indonesia,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Rudy remarked: \"I realized that I'm quite old now and,
\ntherefore, decided to hand down all my skills and knowledge to
\nUmi as well as to other interested Indonesian people who later
\ncould help promote the Indonesian massage worldwide.\"<\/p>\n
To meet this goal, the foundation has started to educate and
\nrecruit masseuses to-be for free.<\/p>\n
The students are required to take a one-month long course and
\nat least three years of practice at Umi's clinic. They are paid
\nand given accommodations and meals.<\/p>\n
A total of 88 masseuses, most of them from the low-income
\nfamilies, are expected to complete their course this year.<\/p>\n
At the current location in Menteng Dalam, Umi sometimes has to
\nturn customers away due to limited space and staff.<\/p>\n
In the long term, Umi plans to set up an exclusive health spa
\nfor the rich.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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