Well, it’s Sunday. I have been planning today's activity for several months and I decided to finally go ahead and take the plunge. What is it? I decided to get a Chinese foot massage.
Actually what prompted me to do so was that my toenails need cut. During a foot massage some places trim the toenails as part of the service.
There is a new – credible – massage joint that opened up just down the road from us. The prices seemed pretty good for this area. Their prices beat the clubhouse spa here at Vizcaya.
I stopped by the massage joint today. I locked my bicycle to the light pole and walked in. The lady at the desk spoke decent English and I informed her that I wanted a foot massage. She led me to a foot locker. I took off my shoes and socks and placed on a pair of sandals. I followed her into this little room. Now –this is where the communication started to break down. She left and then she came back in. She asked me if I wanted a boy or a girl. I said it didn’t matter to me. Actually she had no idea what I said – that must be the border of decent English. Then she said the boy was blind. Blind massage therapists are the best so I knew he would be the best but I thought I didn’t want a blind guy cutting my toenails with sharp instruments. As a result, I replied that I wanted the girl.
Next they brought me in hot tea and some sort of soup. I didn’t eat the soup because I thought what if it wasn’t soup and it was something I was supposed to soak my fingers in.
The girl (massage therapist) came in next. Her English was very limited. She looked to be in Junior High School. She was very cute but that is where the attraction stopped because for the next 60 minutes she kicked the crap out of me.
There were funny things that happened. She first came in with a pail of hot water with weeds, peppers, and junk floating in it. I started to soak my feet in it. She then asked me something or told me something. I didn’t understand her. We both looked lost and she left the room. She came back in – turned on the music (which was the soundtrack to the Titanic). She started to give me an upper back, neck, and head massage. After a few minutes of that I figured out she was trying to ask me to take my shirt off earlier. Since I didn’t remove my shirt she did the massage over my shirt. Despite that she found every sore muscle that I had. While getting my head massaged I realized something funny. Since she didn’t understand me, what if she acted out what she wanted me to do. I laughed to myself because what if she started to unbutton her top to demonstrate what she wanted me to do? What if she started to unbutton my shirt to demonstrate what I wanted to do? I probably would have thought that the massage was turning into the VIP treatment or something.
Well the foot massage was great. I guarantee you that she removed some blood and scar tissue that have been inside my feet since my high school football days. She hit this one spot on my Achilles that was tender. Immediately a thought of an old injury came into my head. It was the exact same spot that I had a deep tissue injury in 1982. Twenty-five years later and long forgotten, it resurfaced – very odd.
Well the entire thing took 60 minutes. I received a head massage, neck massage, shoulder massage, and a foot massage, a cup of tea, and a bowl of soup. It cost me 45 RMB which is equivalent to $5.75. I plan on going back and get a full body massage. I am sure that would lead to some funny stories as well.
Footnote – they did not trim my toenails
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