Yesterday, at Hubby's recommendation, I decided to try chinese massage. I'd been feeling achy for a few days. Not really a fan of massages (I prefer spa body scrubs), I figured it was just fatigue and I just needed to catch up on sleep. Toyed with the idea of a spa trip, and since the "spa" Hubby goes to monthly is so close, I decided to give it a try.
NatureCare seemed nice when I checked out their website, so I made an appointment. I arrived on time for the appointment, signed in and waited only a few minutes before a therapist brought me to the treatment room. I didn't much care for the subtle smell of food - don't know if it's the massage oil, really - nor the chat I can hear from the next treatment room. When the therapist climbed on the bed, I knew the whole thing was a bad idea. I expected more the western style massage experience - even the sports massage didn't have the therapist on top of you. She kneaded and worked my back and it started popping - ouch. I could've asked her to be gentler, I suppose, but I just grinned and bore it. The therapist seemed nice and chatted about this and that - I asked her the difference between tui na and massage and she said that western massage is more superficial while chinese massage is deeper and slightly achy. No kidding. She also started chatting about more personal stuff - as usual, people here make the leap from "hi" to "where do you live" to "do you rent or own" to "how much is the rent" surprisingly quickly.
After the session, I was served some tea and fruit. I felt quite relaxed, actually. Today, I am achy - Hubby assures there are no bruises, but the spots she worked are tender to the touch. I think I will go back to the western massage next time...
