Championship category
Freestyle Eastern
Free routines rooted in Eastern traditions: Ayurveda, Balinese, hilot, Ku Nye and others, presented as a whole story including ritual and philosophy.
Practices related to this category
Thailand
Thai Massage (Nuad Thai)
タイ古式マッサージ（ヌアッドタイ）นวดไทย / นวดแผนโบราณ
Nuad Thai is the name used for traditional Thai massage. It can combine pressure over clothing and assisted stretching. Sen belongs to its traditional understanding of the body; practice varies by school and setting.
Pressure · Stretch · Herbal
Traditional healing systemTraditional massageView →Bali (Indonesia)
Balinese Massage
バリニーズマッサージPijat Bali
A name used for oil massage in Balinese spas and other settings, often combining long strokes, kneading and scent. Local everyday care and tourism-spa menus should not be treated as identical traditions.
Oil · Pressure · Herbal
Traditional massageSpa treatmentView →Philippines
Hilot (Filipino Traditional Healing)
ヒロット（フィリピン伝統療法）
A name for traditional care carried forward in the Philippines. Practices may include manual work, herbs and family care. Knowledge and explanations among practitioners known as manghihilot vary locally; spa wellness massage does not represent the whole tradition.
Oil · Herbal · Heat · Pressure
Traditional healing systemView →Japan
Shiatsu
指圧指圧（しあつ）
A practice developed in Japan using pressure with fingers, palms and other forms of contact, often over clothing. Namikoshi and Masunaga traditions illustrate differences in teaching and understandings of the body; no single intensity or benefit defines them all.
Pressure · Stretch
Traditional massageClinical massageView →China
Tui Na
推拿（すいな）推拿
Manual practices developed within Chinese traditional medicine, including pushing, grasping, kneading and rolling. They are described using concepts such as meridians and qi and blood. Introducing those concepts is separate from making medical judgements about symptoms.
Pressure · Stretch · Tool
Traditional healing systemClinical massageView →Kerala (India)
Ayurvedic Massage (Abhyanga)
アーユルヴェーダ・マッサージ（アビヤンガ）अभ्यङ्ग (Abhyaṅga)
Oil-based manual work within Ayurveda, involving the spreading of oil, stroking and kneading. Its role differs in household routines, specialist facilities and spas. Concepts such as dosha are presented as explanations within that tradition.
Oil · Herbal · Heat
Traditional healing systemView →India
Indian Head Massage
インディアンヘッドマッサージचंपी (Champi)
A name connected with head care in India and seated practices developed in Britain and elsewhere. Work may include the scalp, neck and shoulders. Household champi and taught systems such as Champissage should be explored without assuming they are identical.
Head · Pressure · Face
Traditional massageModern bodyworkView →Tibet
Ku Nye (Tibetan Massage)
クニェ（チベット伝統マッサージ）བསྐུ་མཉེ་ (bsku mnye)
Ku Nye is the manual therapy of Sowa Rigpa, Tibetan traditional medicine, in three stages: ku, anointing with warm medicated oil or butter; nye, kneading, pressure and joint movement; and chi, wiping the oil away with flour. Recorded in the Four Tantras (Gyud Zhi) compiled between the 8th and 12th centuries, it uses heated stones and herbal compresses alongside the hands, on a theory of balancing the three humours (lung, tripa, beken). It is taught today in Dharamsala, in Tibet and at schools in Europe.
Oil · Herbal · Stone · Heat
Traditional healing systemView →Hawaiʻi
Lomi Lomi (Hawaiian Massage)
ロミロミ（ハワイ伝統マッサージ）Lomilomi
A name for manual practices carried forward through families and communities in Hawaiʻi. Some use hands and forearms, with accounts emphasising aloha, place and relationships. Practice, including prayer and sequence, varies; a single spa form cannot stand for the whole tradition.
Oil · Breath · Stone · Abdomen
Traditional healing systemTraditional massageView →Aotearoa New Zealand
Mirimiri and Romiromi (Māori Bodywork)
ミリミリとロミロミ（マオリ伝統手技）Mirimiri / Romiromi
Mirimiri and romiromi are manual practices discussed within rongoā Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. Accounts may emphasise concepts such as mauri and wairua and relationships with community. They should not be reduced to fixed light-versus-deep categories; practitioners’ own explanations matter.
Pressure · Wood · Tool · Herbal · Stretch
Traditional healing systemView →United States
Reflexology
リフレクソロジー（足の反射区療法）Zone therapy / 若石健康法
A practice applying pressure to feet, hands or other areas using the concept of reflex zones. Zone maps describe particular systems; they are not maps for diagnosing organs. Tools and ways of touch vary across schools.
Foot · Pressure · Tool
Modern bodyworkRelated therapyView →Kerala (India)
Four-Hands and Multi-Hands Massage
フォーハンズ／マルチハンズマッサージFour hands massage
A format in which several practitioners work with one recipient at the same time. Two-practitioner work in Ayurveda and contemporary spa menus each have their own contexts. More hands do not imply greater benefit; consent, coordination and comfortable pacing matter.
Oil
Spa treatmentView →
How it is judged
Competition scoring is separate from the value of a culture or practice. Check the official rules for each edition and category. This encyclopedia does not invent judging criteria or award advantages to particular traditions.