Why would anyone want to visit a specialist who is massaging people with snakes? According to the spa owner Sawat Sedki, snake massages offer both “physical and emotional” benefits to patrons if they are willing to overcome their fears and submit to the serpentine healing.
Sedki is a snake massage therapist in his spa in Cairo, the capital city of Egypt.
“The physical aim is to improve blood circulation and mental stimulation,” Sedki told Reuters. “And the emotional aim is that it releases endorphins that help with the “happy hormone” that helps people regain confidence and strengthen the immune system.”
What Sedki advertises seems like a good deal for stressed individuals, something the never-ending contemporary work culture has turned almost all of us into. But the slithering movement of one of the world’s most avoided creatures on our bare backs and faces is definitely a huge physical and mental ask.
Sedki, for massage therapies, applies oil on a patron’s skin and then places the snakes on the patron’s body. According to the report, 28 different species of non-venomous snakes are used, including pythons. The movement on a body is supposed to be relaxing, calming down one’s nerves.
Giant snakes, as well as thin ones, are thought to offer pain relief, soothe migraines and improve blood circulation. One of Sedki’s patrons spoke of a “boost in self-confidence” from the “unreal movement” of the snakes on his body and face.
Snakes were of religious importance to ancient Egyptians. Uraeus, the stylized Egyptian cobra sitting upright on the headgears of ancient pharaohs, was supposed to signify royalty and sovereignty. The protector-goddess Wadjet was symbolized by Uraeus.
But there is no proof that Sedki taps into this ancient mythology for his massage therapy. Indeed, snake massage therapies are not new to our times. In Asia and the Americas, thousands who claim to have undergone the session have hailed the efficacy of snake massage.
