Massage? Spare me!

Have you ever had a massage before? Not the kind that your friend gives you after a hard day of work, or the kind you give your mother when she complains of backache.

I mean massage at a massage parlour, by professional trained massage therapists.

I had. Twice. The first time was a foot massage in China. The second time was a recent back massage I had in Bangkok.

And boy, it was itchy!

Both occasions made me so tickish that I wanted to kick the massage therapist to tell her to stop!

The back massage I had in Bangkok took place on the first floor of a shopping mall. Open air, open space?!? Yes, exactly.

It is amazing how people do not feel awkward to be massaged in "public" over there. The business was really good, and people had to queue up just for a massage. Had it been in Singapore, I think most people would shun the makeshift massage parlour. Most people would think, "No way. What if someone I know saw me?"

At the shopping mall, the "open" concept was quite interesting. The makeshift massage parlour was set up quite nicely, decorated with plants and curtains, although people who walked around the mall could still see us quite clearly.

The lady who did the back massage for me, was a Thai in her mid 40s. She looked rather small built, but you should see the strength she has! She massaged and nudged and pinched my back with such brute force, you would wonder if she was marinating a piece of meat she hated.

I looked at her pleadingly, and she muttered some Thai language which I could not understand. I said, "Lightly, lightly, not so hard." She smiled and continued her massage, obviously oblivious to my "cries" for help. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping it would soon be over.

Not so easy though. The "interesting" part came.

She lifted my right arm, and massaged my shoulders and my......armpit! *Itch!* I am the kind who cannot play games that will end up with people tickling one another. I will be the first one to wave the white cloth and surrender. And now, my armpit actually got massaged! I feel ticklish just thinking of it now.

I giggled and she must have thought I enjoyed it because she massaged with a lot more brute force. And soon my entire feet and toes were all curled up.

It was my "silent" SOS signal. And, guess what? She noticed it! "Yippee!" I cheered softly. But, all she did was to point to my feet, and said something to a massage therapist next to her. And the two of them burst into laughter.

"They must be laughing at me being silly!", but I was not offended, because while she was laughing, she forgot all about my armpit, and she stopped massaging for a while! Whew!

After which, she continued to "marinate" the rest of my back. I was getting used to the "pain" and "torment" until she came to my left armpit. Another round of giggling, curling of feet, laughter, and finally it was over!

40 minutes of torture, and eh-hem, fun and laughter.

This was a photograph taken with the massage therapist after the session. I looked "happy". don't I?

But, another massage session for me? Not in a long time I think!