Postings from my recent travels in southeast Asia, Italy and England. As usual I found that travel reveals more about oneself than about ones destination.

Monday, April 01, 2002

Massage on a budget

I always said that when I became a millionaire I would have a massage every day (or at least 4 times each week). Well by Southeast Asian standards I am rich so I have indulged myself several times since leaving Canada.

I had three massages in Myanmar. The first was an hour-long foot and leg massage at this place that I think was a beauty school (although I am not sure) in Yangon (Myanmar's capital city). It cost 1,500 kyat (700 kyat to $1 US) and was a very thorough and occasionally painful rubbing and thumping of the legs from the knees down and probing of the feet with fingers and a blunt-tipped wooden stylus.

The next massage in Myanmar was quite different as it was a supposedly 'traditional' massage done by a gentleman (first was by a young lady) in a small house at dusk in Bagan. This was probably my least favourite massage as the man's hands were hot and sweaty, he was chewing betel (a mildly narcotic blend of leaves, lime paste, betel nuts and other odds and ends which dyes your saliva and teeth a disgusting red/brown and necessitates constant expectoration) which meant he lent over and spat a stream of saliva between the cracks in the floor every few minutes and the house was open to the air and the mosquitoes became quite plentiful. The only way I can describe this massage is a thrumming at some times (as if my flesh were a guitar string) and a pressing (like accupressure) at other times. I didn't get much out of it but may just have not been very relaxed because the environment was less than conducive to enjoying the experience.

The final massage in Myanmar was back in Yangon at a rather fancy hairdressing salon. This was one pretty good although a bit odd. It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to get across the message that I wanted a 'whole body' massage and that I wanted a lady to do it. It was 4000 kyat for one and a half hours. It was conducted in a rather seedy room that was also used for shampooing hair but had some decidedly odd western posters on the walls that made me wonder if it doubled as a private room for rather more intimate massage than what I was having. Another difficulty was that the sink at the end of the table didn't detach so the poor (fairly short) young woman doing the massage had to contort herself in strange positions to reach me. Her attempts to 'crack' my back (it was much more like a chiropractic treatment in some respects) bordered on the absurd as it was like a mouse trying to do CPR on an elephant (well maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea).

I had one massage in Thailand at Wat Pho. This was a pretty good massage although I wasn't very impressed with the 'herbal' aspect. The cost was 350 baht (43 baht equals $1 US) for an hour. I expected the herbs might mean massage using aromatic oils or herbal wraps but all it consisted of was blotting me (that's the best word for it) with a mesh bag full of herbs that had been steaming in a crockpot.

With all the massages - except for those in Laos - there was a definite lack of regard for tranquility and peacefulness. In each location there was lots of noise, sometimes it seemed to be happening deliberately, and the massage at Wat Pho was not private but conducted in a room with 5 other people being 'done' at the same time. There also seemed to be a lack of interest in the job at hand (literally) with the masseuse often seeming to be in a world of their own and paying much less than 100% attention to their client.

In Laos I had four massages and they were definitely the best of all my Southeast Asian massage experiences. The first was in a private massage place that I passed while out walking and exploring (as I love to do). The young woman who gave me the massage was very attentive and it was a slow day (or they don't get much business) so it was quite peaceful and private. She concentrated on my lower back (which had been giving me trouble since before I left Canada) and I got a nice cup of tea afterward. It was 17,000 kip (9,500 kip = $1 US) for a hour.

The next massage was at a Wat Sok Pa Luang a 'forest temple' that specializes in massage in Vientiane, Laos (read another traveller's experience of massage at the Wat). Here I had a very good woman masseuse and I also had an herbal sauna which was very invigorating and cooling (after heating you up you felt very refreshed when you emerged into the open air). It would have been more pleasant if a young man in the sauna hadn't insisted on asking me if I was married and sidling up to me as I sat trying to maintain my dignity in a far-too-skimpy sarong (that the temple gave you to wear for your massage and sauna). Price - 15,000 kip for the massage, 5,000 kip for the sauna. Here too I made the mistake of scheduling my massage around dusk and the appearance of hungry mosquitoes detracted from the enjoyment.

The final two massages were in the charming city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos. Not only did these massages feel good but they left me with a good feeling since they were done at the Lao Red Cross and some of the money is returned to the organization for local initiatives. I found a wonderful female masseuse and returned to her for a second massage.

The first great thing about this place was they made you take your clothes off - it was a much more effective massage stripped to the waist. The second great thing was the private and peaceful arrangement with only two clients per room and the room sectioned off with hanging curtains. And Kiem Kanh (or however you pronounce her name in Lao) was the third great thing - she was really very talented and professional. It was just a wonderful experience and I was happy to support the Red Cross. Cost was 25,000 kip for one hour.

I have yet to try massage here in Vietnam yet but as tonight I am undertaking a 16 hour bus ride I am sure I will be ready for one when I arrive in Hue tomorrow. Hopefully I will have good things to report.