Here is an egregious post about the lovely massages

Hmm. While I was on vacation, I had:

Two table massages, one with a body scrub

One reflexology foot rub

One upper body chair massage

One back only chair massage

One FISH PEDICURE

I should really have tried to pamper myself a little! (ha!)

Anyway, the two table massages were at the hotel and were incredible. I wasn’t too impressed with the body scrub one – I chose the coffee scrub and mostly it made my belly look tan/jaundiced for the rest of the day. The massage therapists were the same both times, I think (Gene and I had these massages together) and I so loved that they were almost entirely quiet. I hate too much conversation when I am trying to relax like this. To me, the conversation should consist of helpful hints like “HEY stop that!” or “Is that enough pressure?”.

The reflexology foot rub was really interesting. I had it done at here. I wasn’t sure really what to expect – I’ve never had reflexology done before (is it the same as accupressure? Maybe, not sure). So inside, there are all these recliner chairs, maybe a dozen or more. They have you sit in one and take off your shoes and the lady washes your feet and then it starts. First, she punches your feet.

Did you see what I just said? I said she PUNCHES your FEET. Your FEET (!!). Not hard punches, but still. And when she is sure that she won that round of her versus your FEET, then she massages your feet. Not one of those lame foot massages husbands give wives that lasts five minutes before the begging for reciprocity starts, but the kind where she spends easily five minutes just massaging your big toe. Honestly, even the punching feels amazing. I kept my eyes closed the entire time, but the chairs next to me were not so far away that I could not hear their feet being punched as well. So that was a little unsettling.

(I just had the idea: Hey, I wonder if the place I get my pedicures at offers reflexology? I checked: They do, but it’s way more expensive. Oh well. What cost $25 in Malaysia costs $60 here).

Anyway, the rock star of this whole post is definitely the fish pedicure. I found this site with pictures of the place I went to (and here’s another blog with even more pictures!). The price she quotes on the blog is RM38 (approximately $11 US) but!! Since I went on a Thursday, they had a special going. If I bought a massage, I’d get the fish pedicure for 60% off. That made it something like $5 US for the pedicure and $30-ish for an hour long massage. The blogs I’ve linked to really described it well. I got the massage first and it was another reflexology style one, at least on my feet.

After the hour was up, I was escorted to the fish pond (see the second blog for the best pictures). All you do is put your feet in the water (or as much as you can get in the water without standing) and instantly you are covered with fish. I was in the “little fish” pond and the fish were each about the size of my middle fingers. And when I say “covered with fish” I mean, there had to be at least twenty fish on each leg (I was in there up to my upper calf).  The first five minutes were torture. Even though I knew it was coming I was still shocked that there were FISH eating my FEET (what does Asia have against my feet???). I read and re-read the fish spa’s brochure to take my mind off of my predicament and eventually I relaxed. If you can make it through the first five minutes, the other 25 are easy.

It turns out I was seated next to a body guard for a Asian/Malaysian celebrity (princess? mistress? pop star? No one would tell) whose charge (the celebrity/princess/mistress/pop star) had her fancy feet in the big fish pool. I wish I’d asked the fish spa people who she was, but at the time I thought the guy seated next to me was a banker on his lunch hour and the celebrity was just a lady who wore a gorgeous blouse and swirly skirt to shop. I figured it all out (as much as I have, anyway) when I passed the whole posse on my way to the Tod’s store.