The First Massage A Little Shakey
A bad massage is like oral sex from somebody with a cat tongue. Irritating and wholly lamentable.
Since this is my first massage in Bali, I’m not sure if I’m not liking the technique or the technician. After a while I am shuddering at the anticipation of her touch. The only thing I have to look forward to is having my fresh mosquito bites scratched accidentally.
I feel bad that it’s going badly. She is really putting a lot into it. But the language barrier is making it difficult to get the point across that she’s actually hurting me. I’ve tried “too hard,” “too much,” “hurts,” and “ow!” Finally I lift my head and flap my arms and she gets the point.
“Soft?”
“Ya! Ya! Soft!” I reply.
So she lets up, but since she’s not varying her strokes, the same point on my calf is getting ground down to the bone. Softly.
Pretty sure I’ll be bruised by morning, I decide that tomorrow I’ll forgo further poking and try a scrub.
To be fair, I’ve heard it depends on the technician at this place (although to also be fair, a spa should only ever hire competent staff). My fellow villa-mate went here twice and said the first massage he got was great. The second was lousy. My advice: When you find someone whose technique you like, make sure to request her specifically for next time. And when you find someone whose technique you loathe, remember her name so you can make sure you don’t ever get her again.
Travel Betty Basics
Sicilia Spa
(Jl. Double Six, Legian, Bali)
Telephone: (62-361)736292
Ambiance: 4.5 out of 5 Passion Fruits
Treatment: 1.5 out of 5 Passion Fruits
Cost: 77,000 rupiah (including tax)
What that means in U.S. Dollars: $8.39
Second Base On Day Two. Things Move Fast In Bali
After yesterday’s rough and tumble massage at Sicilia Spa, I decide to give my muscles a break and focus on my epidermis. One of my favorite indulgences in San Francisco is the Javanese Lulur Body Treatment at Kabuki Springs and Spa. Currently inhabiting the island that neighbors Java, I am delighted to discover that lulur is extremely popular in Bali.
So I wander into Putri Bali II, and am led into the fairly basic treatment room with a massage table, an open shower stall and a tub. I am grateful that this time the woman gives me instructions. She asks me to undress and before she leaves, hands me a pair of disposable underwear (the kind you’d expect the makers of hospital gowns to invent).
I slip into my new drawers and hop onto the table facedown. Then the woman comes back in and starts rubbing an exfoliant of turmeric and rice powder all over my legs, arms and back. At this point I start wondering what’s going to happen when I turn over. There is no towel or cloth covering me, so I wonder if this is just a one-sided treatment. My question is answered soon enough when she asks me to flip.
