A Pleasure that Comes Cheap and Quick

I will admit to a pleasure that comes cheap and quick, as cheap as 20 pesos. See the picture below. That's my sister. She's tried it once, following my lead. Not sure if she liked it though.

This one below is my son. Unlike my sister, this happened without any influence from me. I came from the ladies' room and found him as such, seated, giggling, obviously enjoying himself. He got his sister to lend him 20 pesos so he could get a 6-minute massage.

Garrett checking out the massage chair. And those are my big thighs. :-)

This spot is so strategically located at the mall entrance from the car park. Yesterday, it greeted me again as I went in, and pulled me to it before I went out.

Here are some reasons why I am magnetized to this massage chair:

1. I said it already, I know, but it’s the main consideration, so let me say it again. It comes at very affordable prices, flexible to suit my budget and free time: 20 bucks for 6 minutes, 50 for 15 minutes and 100 for half an hour.
2. It’s effective. The machine kneads the back muscles and parts of the neck, head, and hips as well.
3. No tips required.
4. No hassle of changing clothes.
5. Accessible within mall hours.
6. You get consistent quality of massage, no disappointments or frustrations in the end. 

It comes with its downsides though, but do not significantly erode the upsides as I see it.

1. You have bright lights above your head, making the experience not that relaxing.
2. You must be ready to take the spotlight. Because this business is not yet that “mainstream,” people passing by would glance or stare at you, curious and probably thinking of trying it out themselves. If you go to a community mall, like the one I go to (SM Taytay), the chance of being seen by people you know is not remote, such as co-parents from your children’s schools.
3. And then there’s the issue of whether the chairs are clean, so it’s better if you’re wearing jeans/pants to minimize skin contact.
4. For someone who’s into massage as a de-stresser, the services of a trained masseuse in a reputable/decent spa or massage center are still better.

I thought I’d share these thoughts with you and get you to think about yourself, to pamper yourself because you deserve it! I would be happy to hear your thoughts, share them in comments, please. :-)

Ahh! A Massage Was Just What I Needed

I have skipped my morning walks for three days, and now my thighs feel sore. I was meaning to use the treadmill in the house each day, but the thought of me sweating and running on a machine, facing a wall, has become unpalatable after having experienced walking on hilly asphalted trails lined by lush greens, in the early morning sun. Such negative ‘conjurings’ of a really great, no-brainer exercise equipment got me into this sore state.

Since I have quite a low pain tolerance, I had to do something to relieve the aches in my lower body. Yup, I’m your “Biogesic” girl who pops pills the minute I feel I am about to get a migraine attack. But I go easy on Ibuprofens and the likes to relieve aches since I have heard they can damage the kidneys. In lieu of painkillers other than Paracetamol, I have a good supply of liniments and balms, and the all-time reliable Salonpas.

Still, body aches are best treated by a massage (I thought). So off I went to my go-to massage parlor – Nuat Thai. It’s affordable so I didn’t really have to think twice about going. I would always go during the off-peak hours to avail of the discount, 250 pesos per hour from 11am-6pm. Regular rate is 350 pesos. But their rates vary among their branches/franchisees. In Cebu, it only cost 150 pesos two years ago, so easily my husband treated me to a 2-hour massage.

Massage is an indulgence that you can get at affordable prices not only in Manila but in other cities in Asia, at least I can say for Bangkok and Saigon where I did get a chance to have one. It is expensive as could be expected in Singapore, but that didn’t deter me to try what I could afford in that upscale city, a mere 10-minute back massage that cost SGD10 at Kenko Reflexology and Spa in Funan Mall. It was so worth it though; I have come back thrice on different trips. They use knuckles and hard pressure using the lower arms to knead the muscles and loosen the stiffness.

In Bangkok, I got to try the room-service massage at the Landmark Hotel which was superb – the best massage experience I’ve had so far. And it only cost me, back in 2010, only around the equivalent of 1,200 pesos. It was different. The masseuse practically went over and under me, reaching all the pressure points. I had the massage after three hectic days of workshop, and I had at the time a bad headache and was feeling sick. Thanks to that masseuse, that flu was kept at bay, and I went back to Manila just fine.  

In Saigon, our gracious German host (my husband and I booked our accommodation via airbnb) pointed us to a very decent massage salon that offered massage services complete with hot stones. It only cost around 250-300 in pesos.

Sorry I can’t tell you about first-class spa services provided by hotels since “unregrettably” I haven’t been lucky enough to try that yet. But, as they say, you can’t possibly miss what you haven’t experienced yet. And I am afraid that if I get to try first-grade massage/spa services, that might take away the pleasure I get from my go-to Nuat Thai where I have “suki” masseuses that do not mind a few extra minutes getting me fixed and pliant.