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Phone (703) 522-THAI
(703) 522-8424 (888) THAI-WAY (toll free) (888) 842-4929 1211 N. Glebe Road Arlington, Va Get Directions Sterling VA Location |
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About Our SchoolThe Thai Institute of Healing Arts was founded by Thais to advance Thai healing arts in the USA. We focus on creating an authentic learning environment for students interested in exploring the traditional healing practices of Thailand.
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Those interested in a career change or those looking to add new techniques to their current healing practice will be equally challenged and inspired. Each of our courses are enriched with theoretical discussions and cultural experiences to allow the western student the opportunity to gain the deepest knowledge in Thailand's ancient healing arts. This knowledge comes directly from the source, Thailand. 
Sararut (Sara) Roylance
| Anatomy & Physiology (60-hours) | Basic Shiatsu (60-hours) |
| Spa Treatment (60-hours) | Basic Ayurveda (90-hours) |
| Facial Treatments (120-hours) | Basic Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage (60-hours) |
| Thai Massage (75-hours) | Reiki (60-hours) |
Hot Stone Face and Body (120-hours) |
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(2003)
Reflexology Massage (60-hours) – The Union of Thai Traditional Medicine Society
Traditional Thai Massage (280-hours) – KlongToey District Education Center
Traditional Thai Massage (410-hours) – The Union of Thai Traditional Medicine Society
Aromatherapy Massage (60-hours) – The Union of Thai Traditional Medicine Society
Sararut is an accomplished Certified Thai Massage Practitioner and Certified Thai Massage Instructor having been employed at many top spas throughout Thailand. She founded her own company in Thailand to provide consulting services to spas throughout the country and has trained 100's of Therapists in Thailand through her own company and her position as Training Manager at Cheraim Spa Village
Professional Affiliations
Sararut is certified by The Union of Thai Traditional Medicine Society (Thailand), The Ministry of Public Health (Thailand) and is a member of the Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP-USA) and an approved Instructor of the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). She holds professional certifications in Thailand and the USA qualifying her as a Certified Thai Massage Instructor.
Experience
Sararut has taught 100's of students the gift and art of Thai healing. She has the ability to comfortably communicate knowledge from ancient Thailand inaccessible to westerner students. She has taught classes in Thai and English.
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David L. Roylance
Executive Director - Thai Institute
david @ thai-institute.com
Education & Training
David graduated from Salisbury State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems Management in 1997 and then started a career in the corporate world of Information Technology progressing through the ranks of management. He always had a strong passion for helping others and found himself always looking for ways to help his employees grow their career and gain further education.
David has been apart of the Asian community of Washington, D.C. since 1993 and has completed personal research into multiple Asian cultures. He was encouraged by those in the Asian community to seek out exposure to Thai culture as they felt it fit him well.
He followed the recommendation and a trip to Thailand in December 2002 changed his world forever. David went to a working temple in Bangkok, Thailand to receive a Thai massage. David immediately fell in love with the rich culture and healing touch of the Thais. After returning home, he sought out education and training in Traditional Thai Medicine.
Over the course of several years, he completed a nationally recognized program certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) teaching authentic Thai massage, Thai herbal massage, Advanced Techniques for Thai Massage, Traditional Thai Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine, and he completed a rigorous Thai Massage Teacher Certification program.
David is the founder of Touch of Asia, a successful Thai Therapeutic Massage Center located in Northern Virginia. He is the Executive Director of the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. His personal goal is to continue to advance Thai Healing Arts in the USA while maintaining the purity of the ancient healing knowledge from Thailand. He feels its utterly important for those financially benefiting from Thailand's indigenous knowledge to contribute back to Thailand. The Thai Institute of Healing Arts contributes significant resources and financial contributions to help the people of Thailand.
Professional Affiliations
David is a member of the Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP). He is accredited by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTNB) as a Certified Thai Massage Instructor. He is invited to massage schools, venues throughout the region and internationally as a guest speaker or instructor on multiple topics including Traditional Thai Massage and Traditional Thai Medicine. He has contributed to and published several articles on the topics of Traditional Thai Massage and Traditional Thai Medicine.
Experience
David has lived and worked among the Thais since 2001 giving him unique and in-depth exposure to the Thai culture and way of life. He has personally visited countless Theravada Buddhist temples in Thailand and the USA. This has allowed him to gain an appreciation and understanding of the Thai spiritual practices which is integral to the Thai healing arts as practiced in Thailand.
David has taught 100's of students the gift and art of Traditional Thai massage. He has even taught many native Thai students that seek out training within the USA. He creates a relaxing yet informative classroom environment that makes learning fun, exciting, safe, and challenging. He has a true passion for teaching that comes across in every interaction with him.
Learn the story of Phra Phrom. How and why the Thais make offerings
to this representation of the Hindu God Brahma. (Watch more videos, click here.)
Wat Chedi Luang - Chiang Rai, Thailand
Visit an old historic temple in ruins. Learn how to make an
offering at a Thai temple and see a "bi-see" offering being
constructed by hand. (Watch more videos, click here.)
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Pierce Salguero, PhD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,
Director of Research
Education & Training
Pierce lived in Asia between 1997 and 2001 — most of that in Thailand, with significant time spent in India, China, and Indonesia as well. During those years, he explored an interest in Buddhism through extended stays at meditation centers and monasteries in Isaan. During this time he received training as a practitioner of massage and herbal medicine in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s vibrant center of traditional medicine. Pierce apprenticed with individual healers such as Lek Chaiya and Mama Nit, and completed a basic course, internship, and teacher certification at the renowned Shivagakomarpaj Traditional Medicine Hospital’s school of Thai medicine (AKA “Old Medicine Hospital”). With the blessing of his teacher, Pierce founded Tao Mountain upon his return to the U.S. in 2002 as a branch of the Shivagakomarpaj lineage.
Pierce moved back to the U.S. primarily to pursue graduate school, and since that time his academic research has remained focused on Asian medicine. He received his M.A. degree in 2005 from the East Asian Studies Department of the University of Virginia. He wrote his Master’s Thesis on the cultural history of Thai medicine, focusing on the interplay between Ayurvedic medicine imported from India and indigenous traditions of Thai folk healing. (This thesis was subsequently published as a handbook for Thai medical practitioners by Hohm Press as Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda.) From 2005–10, Pierce attended the Ph.D. program at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed graduate fields in the history of medicine in China, India, and wrote his dissertation on the movement of Buddhist medicine from India to China.
Professional Affiliations
Dr. Pierce Salguero is teaching history, history of medicine, and Asian philosophy and religions at the Penn State Abington college. In the Thai massage/medicine community, he is a member of the Association of Traditional Northern Thai Medicine and the Shivago Foundation. He is also a member of several academic associations, including the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM), the American Academy of Religion (AAR), and the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM)
Publications
Pierce is the author of A Thai Herbal, the only English-language guide to Thai Herbal Medicine, The Encyclopedia of Thai Massage, a comprehensive book on Thai massage therapy, and The Spiritual Healing of Traditional Thailand, a book on the history and spirituality of Thai medicine. He has also published a book entitled Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda, which gives an overview of the history of Thai healing and contemporary practices. Dr. Pierce Salguero has in past also written numerous articles on Thai tradition in magazines such as Yoga Journal, Massage Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Whole Life Times, and others. His academic publications are listed on my website, www.Jivaka.net.
Dr. Pierce Salguero is the Director of Research at the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. His research has uncovered a plethora of information previously unknown to the western world. Dr. Salguero's evidence-based research is ever present in the curriculum of the Thai Institute's coursework benefiting all of the students and in our compassionate treatments administered in our Therapy Center.
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