skinrolling

Hey, so my dad-in-law is taking the whole family to Las Vegas next weekend (weekend after FKO). I've never been. I'm not much into gambling, but am curious to see what all the fuss is about. My mom-in-law is treating the womenfolk to pampering at the spa in the hotel we're staying at...she faxed me a list of spa services to choose from (!). Wow, some of these services sound pretty exotic...Bali Spice Scrub, Volcanic Earth Ritual, Balinese Foot Wash. I'm a *big* sucker for massages, so angsted for a while over the massage section before settling on something called a "JAMU Massage". The description reads as follows: "A meditative massage combining Hindu, Chinese and European techniques for a rhythmic, relaxing and energizing experience. Unique massage strokes include acupressure, skinrolling, wringing and percussion, with your choice of exotic oils: island fruits, island spice, or island flowers." Mmmmm. But what on earth is "skinrolling"?! I must find out.

I'm not hugely experienced at getting professional massages, but I've learned a few pointers (which are extremely borne from personal taste and therefore may not apply to everyone) for maximizing the massage experience:

If you don't like pain, say so.
I remember getting pummelled a long while ago...it felt like the masseuse was doing her best to inflict as many bruises on my body as she possibly could, a sort of endurance test. I felt like pummelling HER at times during the massage, in fact. It would have been far better for me to admit my low pain threshold and ask that she have mercy.

Ask for a woman masseuse.
I can't relax if there's a good-looking guy doing the massage...I'm way too self-conscious about flabby bits, trying to remember when I last shaved my legs, and so on. On the other hand, some people like the "pummelling" sort of massage, and in general men tend to use more pressure than women. Now that I think of it, I realize that my favourite massage person at my health club is a guy, so just ignore this entire paragraph. Derek is different, though (stop rolling your eyes, Jeff)...he only talks at the beginning (to say hello and ask if there's anything in particular I need working on) and at the end, so most of the time I'm not really aware of the person behind the hands. Sounds heartless, but it's true...and as it should be, really.

One thing I'm really not into is getting impromptu massages from strangers or people I don't know very well. Y'know, you're sitting in a filk circle and stretch to get some kinks out of your neck, and suddenly there's a pair of hands digging their thumbs into your shoulders from behind belonging to someone you don't know. I know a lot of people are fine with this, but I lean towards the "ask first" methodology.

Anyway, I'll stop going on about this or my Dad (whom I know reads my Blatherings) will think that the filk conventions I attend are nothing but hedonistic weekend-long orgies. :-)

Today's Blatherpic:

With Annie at Fune.