Royalty

Sunday my neck and shoulder was very stiff. I remembered the previous week's haircut, and how relaxing the scalp massage was. So, I asked an online Korean friend WH if he knew anyplace that gave scalp massage like the hair shops. He found for me the "Chinese Royal Massage" office, just a few blocks away from my office!

While scalp was not a choice, "neck, shoulder, and back" was available and only about $12 for 30 minute massage. Since that was what was hurting, I decided to go for it. (Other choices that I could translate were foot massage and aroma-therapy).

The first problem was changing clothes:



The "training clothes" that they gave me to wear wouldn't fit me! (I've had this problem before at the Dr. Fish place). So, I just wore my t-shirt and jeans, and went to the lay down on the special table.



I'm not sure if he was a China man or Korean, but this strong, stout man began giving the massage. At first it was pretty relaxing, similar to the head massage. But as he progressed the massage became stronger and stronger. While the massage was titled "neck, shoulders and back", he seemed to focus on the back. My back normally hurts, and the muscles are all in knots anyway - no doubt this style of massage was probably good for me. But I wasn't sure I was going to survive it. In the end, with some strange leverage, he was using his whole body weight to loosen my muscles. I have a stooped posture, and one set of exercises he did was stretching my arms back, thus straightening my back. I did feel a bit taller when it was over.

Conclusion? Well, whatever tightness I may have felt on my arrival was gone, only to be replaced by pains in places I didn't know I had. As soon as I can walk again, I'll post my final opinion.