What is Jap-Sen or Nerve Touch Thai Massage?

 Published: Jul 19, 2018 | Revised: Sep 1, 2024

What is Jap Sen or Nerve Touch Thai Massage?

The Jap Sen or Nerve Touch Massage style is a Thai Massage style characterized by “grasping or plucking the Sen Lines” and was founded by the late Lek Chaiya also known as “Mama Lek.”

Mama Lek was a reputable healer, herbalist, and Thai Healing arts teacher from Chiang Mai (Thailand), and her work steadily gained popularity over the years. She gave therapeutic treatments and taught Thai Massage and herbal knowledge for more than fifty years.

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The Jap Sen technique is hard to explain in words and in fact it’s best to be seen and felt to understand thoroughly. With Jap Sen the muscles, tendons and nerves are grabbed and “rolled over,” which can be done gently or more firm, while during a session deep pressure and acupressure is applied by using the knees, elbows, feet, heels, and thumbs.

Generally, it’s a rather “hard” or tough style of giving Thai Massage. Nevertheless, it’s a deeply therapeutic form of massage, mostly focusing on joint functionality, increasing range of motion and flexibility, and relieving pain.

In traditional Jap Sen or Nerve Touch style the preparation and proper usage of traditional herbs and herbal packs are an integral part of the work.

Today, you’ll find Jack Chaiya, the son of Mama Lek, and Janice Gagnon (an American Thai Massage teacher) continuing the Jap Sen lineage teaching in Lek Chaiya’s spirit and style.




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