Wind back some years and Alexandre had a painful back that was not getting better. He was working for local government and his doctor had advised him to change his job. Personal circumstances changed with his life and Alexandre decided to go travelling.

He ended up in Thailand, on the advice of a cousin, with a one-way ticket and discovered Thai medical massage. It helped him a lot. When he came back to France he ultimately began to study Thai Massage in France. The following year he returned to Thailand to study Thai medical massage directly there and hasn’t looked back.

Today you can find Alexandre in the beautiful island of Corsica where he moved last April with his teenage son from the more northerly setting of Evreux in Normandy. Feedback from Corsicans visiting him and friends was that there was a need for more clinically focused massage in Corsica – and so, driven by Covid, he moved away from the rather grey skies of Normandy.

We asked Alexandre how the skills he has learnt may differ from standard Thai massage “it’s not just a massage for wellness. It is designed to treat specific issues. My brother is a physio, but he doesn’t give a lot of massage – just 10 or 20 minutes. In France there tends to be a lot of spa massage, but not medical massage. Osteopathy is more about manipulation. I personally believe that for orthopaedic problems Thai medical massage is the best type. It is energetic massage and muscular massage.

“Yesterday, for example I had a customer come to see me for constipation, backpain. For Wellness, people usually come in France for a standard protocol. Many French masseuses, in my experience, give a massage without understanding A and P or knowing the names of muscles etc. I feel the issue with just learning techniques without truly understanding them is that what might suit one person may not suit everyone – there has to be a deeper understanding of what you are doing. At the moment I am really enjoying working with physios and osteos.

“Adapting to your customers is important. Generally Thai massage is done without oil. But if the body is more contracted, then I do use oil to begin with. In medical Thai massage I use a lot of acupressure, which is more the style in the south of Thailand, a little mixed with Chinese massage. We work on the same acupressure points and meridians. Personally, I think it is better for older people who may not be able to withstand a lot of stretching. In fact, my observation is that a lot of stretching isn’t the best for many people in Europe at the start if their bodies don’t receive a lot of massage and are very blocked. I tend to wait till six or seven massages in before I use significant stretching.

“My passion is to give customers to time they need for being heard. When patients see Drs, Drs don’t tend to touch the body or listen. They tend to look at scans and screen a lot of problems, but not often in France touch or feel. But in massage it is different, we spend that time. And then after, we touch. And then we can explain. And it’s really important to explain. I had a client come to see me recently who said he had a pain in his stomach. But he pointed to his liver, not his stomach. Which means we can explain that the pain is not where he thinks it is. Then when the massage is finished, I can give customers exercises to do at home. What is important for me is for customers to understand that their health is their responsibility. It’s their body, their life. If they have massage and do the exercise, I will work with them. If it is just me making the effort without them getting, the problem is likely to stay and this is what I make clear to them.”

We wondered what Alexandre enjoys in his free time?

“Well, I love to travel and meeting different people and cultures. I practise yoga and Thai medical yoga – Ruesi Datton. I love meditation and Buddhist philosophy. I love to spend time outside in nature and in the mountains with the sun and trees and by the waterside, places filled with good energy.”

You can find Alexandre at www.thaihealingprocess.com