I’m not really into having someone touch my body. I’m so ticklish that if someone tries to tickle my sides or feet, I might accidentally elbow them. I’m not great with pain either, so if I were born during the Japanese occupation, I might have spilled all the secrets without even being asked. (Lucky for both my country and me, I was born in this era.)
But in Thailand, massages are a must. I don’t know why, but it seemed like an obvious part of the experience. If you don’t squeeze a massage into your travel itinerary, people might say you didn’t do Thailand right. So, I booked massages every day, and today, I’m meeting my first massage therapist. 😊
When I called to book, they asked me a few questions.
‘Would you prefer a male or female therapist?’
– I don’t like too much pain…
‘We’ll get you a female therapist.’
– But what if it doesn’t feel refreshing enough?
‘Okay, got it.’
The consultant ended the conversation efficiently. It left me feeling uneasy, but I thought it wasn’t a big deal. After all, it was just a call for a 90-minute massage. But maybe I should’ve asked how they planned to meet my requests.
She had unique muscles. She looked like she’d just entered her 40s, the age when one might get a bit overconfident in their profession. Her broad shoulders were like those of a boxer, suggesting she had the strength to master any massage technique. If she wanted, she could probably pin one leg with her foot and twist off the other with her arms. But she wouldn’t do that. At least not to a client like me. 😅
Mind control, apatheia, relax… I closed my eyes to ease the tension in my muscles.
‘Jep mai ka? (Does it hurt?)’
The massage began with her knee pressing into the top of my thigh, and as I jerked like I’d been knee-kicked, she asked the first question. And my regrettable answer till the very end.
‘Mai jep. (No)’
After that, I prepared to reply ‘Jep (It hurts!)’ at any moment, but she, unfazed, kept her lips sealed until the massage ended, as if she now had a free pass. 😬
The massage started with the legs, moved to the arms, then (while lying on my back) the back, (flipped over again) the head, and finally the whole body. The legs got the most attention. Since a person has two legs, the massage proceeds from left (or right) to right (or left) in sequence.
As an INTP, it bothers me if the massage on both legs isn’t identical. I wish they would alternate the massage equally, but therapists never do that. So, I decided to memorize the sequence of every massage using mnemonics. The problem? I don’t know the names of each technique. So, I closed my eyes and started visualizing the forms my body made during the massage, stacking them in an imaginary space. 🧠
While I was focused on arranging the massage in my mind, she suddenly slid her fingers between the muscle fibers of my calf. How is that even possible? But in that moment, I felt my muscle split and air flowing through, followed by pain. I screamed, and with that, the massage Tetris in my imaginary space crumbled like a Jenga tower. 🤯
Please ask. Ask if it hurts!
She didn’t ask. As I looked painfully at her, I saw a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. Do I have to endure this attack, I mean, massage? Has anyone ever stopped a massage because it was too painful? I’ve never heard of such a case. If I’m the first in the world… that’s terrifying. If it gets in the local newspaper, it’d be a disaster. I’ve been telling everyone I work out every morning, but they might say, ‘Oh, so it was just a little wiggle, huh?’ People can be cruel. 😬 I endured the pain. If this is the level, I might not have easily given away secrets even if I were born during the Japanese occupation. Anyway, I decided to focus on minimizing the impact of her attacks. 💪
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