The name evokes the peaks of the “Roof of the World.” The technique, however, originates from the plains of China. What Lanqi presents as an ancient Himalayan massage is actually based on Tuina, a manual therapy derived from traditional Chinese medicine, with the earliest written records dating back more than two thousand years.
The difference is not insignificant. In the vocabulary of contemporary wellness, the Himalayas serve as a geographical shortcut to supposed authenticity—a massage from high altitudes seems more ancient than a Chinese treatment, even though the latter is just as well-documented. Tuina, on the other hand, doesn’t need to rely on geography: it is one of the four historical pillars of Chinese medicine, alongside acupuncture, herbal medicine, and qi gong.
The method involves applying pressure, kneading, and targeted manipulation of tension points, from the skull to the soles of the feet. It is not a form of general relaxation: each movement targets a specific area, believed to correspond to an energy pathway in the body. The underlying principle is that of Qi, the internal energy upon which Chinese medicine bases physiological balance. According to this logic, releasing accumulated tension is about restoring the flow of this energy rather than simply loosening a muscle.
What is striking is the contrast between the rigor of the protocol and the lightheartedness of the commercial name used to describe it. Tuina is taught in Chinese medicine programs on the same level as acupuncture; it requires a precise understanding of the body’s anatomy, acquired over several years. Renaming it “Himalayan” does not technically enhance it—it simply shifts it, in the client’s imagination, to a place that sells better than the urban China where it is taught today.
The phenomenon extends far beyond Lanqi. The wellness industry has gotten into the habit of promoting its techniques under names that don’t always reflect their true origins—a way of selling exoticism rather than the source. The technique itself remains the same wherever it’s practiced: it’s the names that change.
One question remains for the high-end spa industry: as customers become more informed about the true origins of the treatments they pay for, the vague geographical argument may lose its value in the face of the simple accuracy of the name.
Tuina, along with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and qigong, is one of the four recognized historical pillars of traditional Chinese medicine. Its foundational texts predate its current practice in clinics by more than two thousand years.
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