The Rub-Down

This was Day 2 of our South San Francisco Bay adventure. Daughter-In-Law Nicole had to work, so after we took her to her office, Son Brian, Hubby Tony, and I started on our day's adventures.

As we drove around the area I saw a Who's Who of tech companies....the headquarters for Yahoo, Google, LinkedIn, and Intuit, as well as a huge Microsoft building.  A freeway exit pointed toward Cupertino, the city where Apple is located.  (Not everything in the area is tech.  There was also a NASA research center and a sign that pointed the way towards Lockheed Martin.)

Our first stop was Shoreline Park, where we walked on some of the trails and looked at the San Francisco Bay.  For lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant, then came back to the apartment for a short rest.  Then it was time for the highlight of my day.

For my birthday, I'd received a promise of a massage from Brian and Nicole.  The studio I was going to did all types, but when Brian mentioned how nice the traditional Thai massages were I knew I had to try it.  Yet another unique activity to add my list.

When I checked in at the front desk the receptionist handed me a laminated card that asked for contact information, what type of pressure I wanted for my massage (I chose medium) and a diagram of a body where I could indicate the parts that needed special attention (always my shoulders and lower back).  After the preliminaries were out of the way I was escorted into the studio, which was a dimly-lit hall with curtained rooms set on each side.  I could see that each room held a massage mat set on a raised platform.  Serene music was playing softly in the background.

When we reached one of the rooms I was instructed to change out of my clothes into loose cotton pants and shirt, then lay down face-first on the mat.  The masseuse entered, greeted me, and got started.

I'm used to deep tissue massages where you can relax and zone out.  This was NOT like that! 

The masseuse could lean over my body, and she put her full weight into her work. When she got to my shoulders she vigorously pressed on all the sore points until I was ready to call Uncle.  It hurt, but at the same time it also felt really good.  The same thing happened when she started on my lower back.

Laying on my stomach I wasn't able to see the technique,  but a couple of times I felt her climbing over me to get to the other side, and I think she might even have used her knees a couple of times.  Eventually I rolled over on my back and my arms and legs got the attention they craved.  However, I wasn't expecting that my fingers and toes would get pulled until the knuckles cracked.

All too soon my time was up and I had to get dressed and return to the real world.  When I returned to the reception area I received I cup of hot tea and a small jar of Thai smelling salts to take home.  Brian and Tony were waiting in the car for me in the parking lot.

Five years ago today: The Right Note