China--Revisited 2013 [#15]

The Full Body Foot Massage

After our afternoon walk through the neighborhood, we went to dinner at the Happiness Valley Mountain Villa Restaurant before the women -- Donna, Edward's mom, and Yujia -- were planning a visit to the foot massage spa for what we could only assume was some kind of traditional foot treatment.

The restaurant was quite spectacularly adorned with lights. The usual arrangement with upscale restaurants is that our party was led to one of many private rooms where we were to eat our meal. It was cold at first, so (as everyone does) we kept our coats on. Gradually, as hot dishes are brought and gas burners are lit to keep various dishes hot (soups), the room warms a bit.  Tea, of course, helps in this warming process as well.

Dinner consisted of peanuts (appetizer), a whole chicken (served, as I have mentioned elsewhere, actually whole -- head at one end, feet at the other, sliced horizontally bones and all), black bean soup, shrimp and wild goat soup, greens (spinach), and bitter melon with fat soup.  My notes to do not specify what kind of fat this might have been. Bitter melon, however, I am quite sure about.  It is accurately named. I think we would say bitter melon is an acquired taste.


Edward's father was already at the restaurant hosting local businessmen and their wives in another private room.  He came to greet us and returned several times to make sure we were being treated well, but he did not eat with us. Edward's cousin arrived with her little girl. We had met earlier in the day. She saw me and ran out of the room.

Edward proved to be quite the gallant hero for his cousin's daughter. She needed considerable time and coaxing to rejoin us. He referred to his cousin as "sister" and to her daughter as "niece." Who would have guessed Edward would be so accomplished and accommodating with children? What a guy!

After dinner we all drove to the foot massage spa, where it was decided that Edward and I would join the women in the foot baths.

So I found myself sitting in a lazyboy type recliner with the three women and Edward. We were attended individually by a team of masseuses.

The process, briefly stated, followed a set routine. We were each given a glass of hot water to drink and a bucket of hot water. We put our feet into the hot water to soak, to relax them, and presumably to soften the callouses. While our feet soaked we sat on stools opposite our recliners while these young women gave our shoulders and backs a serious work over.

As the only "massage novice" in the group, I found this process quite rigorous, somewhat akin to being beaten up.

Then we returned to the lazyboy while our feet were pulled from the water, dried, kneaded, pummeled, folded, scored, slapped, bent, and pinched. The young woman assigned to me was small but athletic. She just might have the strongest thumbs I have ever encountered. By the time she had moved above my ankles, I was sure I had experienced the limits of voluntary pain.

There was a lot of conversation in Chinese and laughter during this process. Donna asked Yujia for a translation at one point. Yujia confided, "She likes your fat legs!"

Once our feet and legs were tingling from the workout, we were asked to lie flat on our stomachs. The lazyboys flattened out nicely, so we lay prone. Quickly the young women jumped onto the arms of the chairs and began pounding our backs. I could feel feet on the small of my back, then knees on the backs of my thighs. At one point, my masseuse locked elbows with me and lifted me from the chair.

When they were finished beating us up, the women vanished. Donna wanted to leave a tip, which would have been expected in the U.S., but it clearly was not possible here.

What did it cost for an hour or more of individualized attention, she wanted to know.  After some calculation, Edward reported, "About $8 US each."



The one item I neglected to relate in its appropriate spot is that we were told initially to roll our pant legs up above the knee.  Neither Yuji nor I were able to roll them up that high -- Yujia because she was wearing "skinny jeans"; me, well, just because -- so we were sent to rooms to put on shorts.

Matching boxer shorts, as it turned out.  Quite stunning and stylish. A memorable way to end a memorable day, the last day of 2012.