Massage

One great thing about China are the massages. Besides making the US prices seem like highway robbery, massage here is seen as a healthy and wellness activity. (The ones I go to at least) are based on traditional Chinese medicine and resemble deep tissue massages in the US. I go to a place which is about a 5 minute walk from my apartment called "Lulu's Blind Pressure Massage" where the masseuses (I really think they should probably have another name as that description conjures up images of aromatherapy and spas and this is just about anything but) are trained and all have poor to no eyesight. I think this makes for even better massages because really concentrate on the actual massage. I bought a 10x card which makes each (45min foot and 40 min body) massage around 35 RMB ($5) each.

The culture around massages is pretty casual, and sometimes Friday night outings forgo trips to the bar and get foot massages instead. The masseuses here know my voice and call me the "American Chinese girl" which is fine by me. They have talking watches that they press to figure out how much time is left.

I pulled something in my back a few weeks ago playing tennis. I didn't think twice and went to get a back massage an hour later. This sort of ubiquity and ease is something I'll definitely miss in the States.