Amanda Takes Off...

This being Korea, I should have expected that a sports massage here would be interesting.

I have wanted to get a massage here for a while, but many massages are "special," and I hadn't taken the time to find a legit place.

Last night I mentioned to Master that I wanted a sports massage and he found a sports massage place for me near 학동 station. He called and made an appointment for me, telling them where I wanted the focus of the massage. He told me that it would consist of a 탕 (bath) of some sort, some acupressure (at least, that's what I thought he said), and a massage.

I found the place easily. I was told to change into shorts and a t-shirt and then I was told to lie down on a table. OK, no problem. Then she told me to put my legs straight up in the air and through some loops of fabric. I also had to put my hands straight up in the air through some loops of fabric. Then she turned on some machine that jiggled my legs back and forth for several minutes.

Then, there was a hot foot bath. Twenty minutes of that, no problem, right? Yeah, it's all fun and games until she pulls out the stainless steel needles.

Having done some internet research, it looks like she did Korean hand acupuncture. She took all these little spring-loaded stainless steel needles and stuck 13 of them in each hand. A little row up my palm and middle finger, including the tip. On the back of the hand, she stuck five right below the nail, one in the top knuckle right below the nail, and one in middle knuckle.

It hurt, but only a little. Meanwhile, as she was inserting the needles, I asked which part of the body the point corresponded to. She thumped my breastbone, my lower belly, my shoulders and so on.

So I was sitting there, feet soaking, 26 pins sticking out of my hands, contemplating that if I didn't do taekwondo here, I'd miss out on these experiences—a href="/b2evolution1/index.php/2006/11/11/chinese_medicine_cigs_and_survivor_as_we" title="Buhang">부항, various forms of physical therapy, acupuncture...

It actually hurt more when she removed the pins than when she inserted them. A few points bled, mostly on my left hand. The five points below my nail all bled and then she did this painful squeezing on my nails thing to get the blood to keep coming.

After that, I was told to lie down on another bed with another machine and I put my feet into some stirrups. She turned on a machine and my legs were bobbed them back and forth (up and down). That was so relaxing I fell asleep and starting dreaming.

Then I was moved to another bed and I put my feet in some machine that moved them back and forth (side to side). That was not as relaxing. It made my entire body shake. She said it was good for the hips, butt, and stomach. I'm just happy I only had a banana in my stomach.

Then I got the actual massage.

Holy Korea.

I was told to lie on the floor (heated, I love these heated floors) with my head in a pillow and she did the massage. She used her feet for most of it. She had some really strong feet, and I have no idea how her foot was so flexible that it could squeeze and pinch like a hand does. In America and Thailand, the head part of my massages were nice. You know, gentle. Here, she beat on the top of my head with her fingertips.

It hurt and she kept telling me to breath. "Amanda, Amanda, this, this," she said, inhaling and exhaling. I know that when I'm tense or nervous or concentrating, I quit breathing. (This is a huge problem I have when doing my poomse.) I kept breathing but it hurt—in that really nice way.

It made me feel so relaxed.

So relaxed that I went and dropped $60 on books at Kyobo before coming home to take a long, long nap.

Total cost for two and a half hours of this was 100,000 won (a little over $100). I think Master may have gotten a discount for me, but I'm not sure. Some things in Korea are deliciously cheap.

Ahhhhh.