So remember, way back when I got that massage voucher?. Well it expires on 30th September so I decided it was time to use it up (I still had $115 available on it) and splurged on a $109 massage.
The name should have tipped me off, “Hot Herbal Oil Massage” but I though it sounded neat. It was, kind of, but that oil was so damn hot! My shoulders and neck feel like they’ve been severely sunburnt and I have a bunch of scratches all over my back somehow.
Even without that (it did feel good in some areas, like middle-ish back. That was awesome!) it was quite possibly the strangest experience I’ve ever had. At one point, I was lying on my stomach and she had her legs wrapped around my legs and was pulling my arms back… I felt like we were in a wrestling match.
Then there was the pants issue. They gave me a little outfit to wear, the shirt tied at the back and she undid it when it was hot oil time but I had to take off the pants. I know this is pretty standard in a massage but I just wasn’t ready. So I closed my eyes and let her do her thing! Ok, so that sentence makes it sound like she raped me or something. She didn’t. I just feel uncomfortable having a stranger touch parts of my body that most people don’t see 😛
So, now I wonder. I have had 2 massages and both of them really freaking hurt. Is this standard? Do people voluntarily go through this pain… and enjoy it?
I can’t imagine I’ll ever have another one ever again.
4 responses to “Argh, my aching back!”
The only massages that I’ve had are those casual ones that friends give you by rubbing your shoulders, and those feel odd. I think that massages are supposed to hurt in different ways. Usually you hurt from too much tension. And a massage hurts because it’s undoing all that? I’m not sure.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of being touched or massaged. If I ever ask for a massage, I’m probably in a lot of pain, haha. I usually make my mom do it, though. I’m not really up for other people touching me.
Maybe you should see a doctor? I hope your back feels better, though.
The last (and only) paid massage i ever had was a full body chinese massage. It was fucking painful. But largely because i had so many taunt muscles from sports… so I can’t conclusively tell you how much they’re *mean* to hurt. These days I just get my boyfriend to do it, haha. Those hurt too, but like, in a way where I can feel its doing me good, and loosening me up.
I’ve gotten a massage -once-, when I was in Thailand. It wasn’t a hot oil massage but it was almost just as unpleasant. I remember being in a lot of pain. They had provided me a list of Thai words that I could use to communicate how I wanted certain body parts massaged, but I think 10 minutes in, I forgot all of them and didn’t know how to tell them to “stop”, “slow down”, “softer”, etc. Longest hour of my life.