I was feeling overwhelmed and decided to book an oil massage one Sunday to relax my nervous system ‘n stuff. I decided to try this one spa that I’ve never been to but which also costs more than my regular place. I had set a 6pm appointment for after work, so I had to keep an eye on the time while finishing up my work at the office. I ended up being late by a few minutes, but the massage therapist very kindly made up the lost time for me at no extra cost.
As usual, I opted for the full-body aromatherapy massage, 90 minutes. I had thought of trying the hot stone massage, but decided I wasn’t feeling that adventurous after all. Anyway, I never go for anything less than 90m, because I personally feel it’s not worth freeing up my schedule and factoring in all that travel time getting there and back just for a 60-minute massage which isn’t really enough time to really work on all my problem areas satisfactorily. I’m a big girl with chronic back pain and deadlifters’ muscles, I need all the time I can affordably get.
There were four oils to choose from at the counter: ginger, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and lavender. I smelled all of them, but the scents weren’t very strong. I had to keep smelling each bottle over and over because I kept forgetting what each one smelled like. I was torn between ginger and eucalyptus, but I figured since I would be having ginger tea at the end anyway, I might as well just get eucalyptus for my massage oil.
I stepped into the massage room. It was very spacious, much more than I was used to. There was plenty of walking room. And, instead of just the usual coat rack or wall hooks for me to hang my clothes on, there was an actual closet with a door for me to put my clothes in. The sheet I would lie on was bright pink (+1). The towels were folded into a pair of basic decorative swans. I got changed and soaked my feet in the soapy basin. I sat there thinking about how glad I was that the day was effectively over and the only thing I had to do was just relax and let someone else take care of my weary body in a dark, cold room.
After maybe five minutes of sitting with my dogs in the water, the MT returned and I got on the massage table and upon placing my face in the cradle, found myself looking at a large wooden dish of water with three large flowers floating serenely in it. I hadn’t tied my hair (it feels uncomfortable because of how heavy my hair is), so the MT gathered and moved all my hair to the front to hang over the edge of the table. I almost laughed when I saw my long hair cascading and hanging down just inches from my face, absurd in the way it almost touched the floor, like something out of a Japanese blockbuster horror movie. If I had been alone in that dark room sans therapist, I would have been scared shitless by the sight of my own hair arranged like that, not gonna lie. I might have to get a haircut again soon, anyway; my hair takes so long to dry after showering.
Now, onto the massage itself. The MT applied more pressure than I typically get from women MTs, but it was all good pressure. I had had a charley horse in my left calf earlier that morning when I woke up and stretched in bed, so it felt very tender when she was rubbing my calf and I had to keep asking her to lighten up to an extent that must have seemed oddly incongruous with the complete indifference with which my back had received significantly more pressure earlier.
Overall, her pressure and techniques were very consistent and even, and there was no disruption in the flow throughout the session. The only thing was that for some reason this massage seemed to pass a little too quickly; before long I was told to flip over from my stomach on to my back, indicating that at least half the allotted massage time had elapsed, and I had thought, what, already!? it feels like only 20 minutes have passed since I lay down!
Time continued its onward march and I requested for a stomach massage and stretching toward the end of the session, because I absolutely love having my tummy rubbed (maybe I was a dog in my previous incarnation?). I first got a taste of it with my male MT in KL this year, and it took me by surprise because I didn’t actually know it was a service that existed. Since then, I’ve always asked for it every time I get a massage, at every spa I’ve been to. I just like the feeling of warm hands compressing on my ribs and stomach and pushing my internal organs around, as strange as that sounds. It always leaves me feeling less bloated afterward, which of course is the point.
Obligatory post-massage #OOTD, even though you can’t see the full outfit here. A cobalt blue turtleneck I bought when I was one or two sizes smaller but which I choose to believe still looks flattering on me, a relaxed fit long blazer to balance things out, and pants with a waistband that nobody can tell (as far as I know) is elastic. I only schedule button-and-zip trousers for outfits where I have to tuck my top into my pants, which is why I hardly ever wear button-up shirts anymore, because I don’t want to have to wear pants that I have to button up, especially if I know I’m going to be tucking into a free tenderloin meal from the office cafe for lunch that day.
The tea was okay, in my opinion. It was served in a cute floral cup, but it was too little and the tea itself was not as strong or flavourful as I would have liked; it tasted more like plain hot water.
All in all, I had a good massage. I went home feeling good, and continued to feel good the next day. I certainly felt like the day was much easier to get through. I’m absolutely looking forward to coming back again next week.