You can often obtain inexpensive acupressure and guasa (guadsa) tools from stores in Chatchuchak or malls.
The tools are useful because it can provide a portable and instant pain and discomfort relief.
Below are the acupressure and guasa (guadsa) tools that I had brought from my trips in Thailand:
Let me describe each of the items- you may refer the diagram above for the picture of the tool and the description below for more explanation.
No 1- Buffalo horn, no 2 is a guasa knife and no 3 is another guasa tool.
Guasa or known as meridian scrapping.
The most effective guasa tool is often made of buffalo horn. I have a suspicion that the items 1- 3 may not be made in Thailand but sourced from China. I came across items 1-3 at a temporary stall set up at a mall and proceeded to buy 3 items from the stall.
The buffalo horn is an effective guasa tool and can relief pain especially at the back, shoulders and knees. The angle which the tool is at made it possible for you to be able to do guasa on your own for your back shoulders.
No 4 & 5 are acupressure tools sold between 25 to 40 baht each.
These tools are made in Thailand- sometimes they are sold at souvenior shops. They are made of wood. I use it to press on certain acupoints to help with pain and wind in the body. It has helped when I had stomach pain or back pain whereby when I use the tool to press on certain points, it can help to relief the pain.
No 6 is guasa tool made of wood. This one may not be that durable- the fact that after scrapping, it is not that practical to wash it. Hence it is better to keep one that only you use personally. For guasa I prefer to use the tool either made of marble or buffalo horn as they can be washed and dried easily. However if you cannot find those, or just want to experiment out first, you may buy this inexpensive wood one (usually cost between 20 to 30 baht each).
No 7 is actually quite unusual- it is made of woven bamboo leaf. What you do is place in in your fingers and then pull. It can help to release tension in your fingers- can relief a little for the arthritic pain but not 100% effective.
Alternatively, you can also source for these tools online in Thailand:
- Buffalo horn guasa tool (limited stock)/ another store
- guasa tool
- Items Made of wood (cheaper)
Finally, I have written a few articles about guasa and acupressure in my Health Blog:
- Portable Muscle Ache Reliever- Guadsa Board
- Guasa to relieve lower back pain
- Guasa for headaches and migraines
- Pain relief you can do using guasa on your own
- Relieve Neck Stiffness and Tension on your own using gua sha
- Small Acupressure Tool- made of wood