Today’s treat was a Thai massage.One hour on a stern mattress under the thatched roof of a big hut right on Bang Tao beach was quite the bargain; only 500 Baht (USD 15). Actually, that is rather expensive for Thailand. I have no idea how much of that fee will go to the massage therapist but I was sure to give her a few extra baht as I hope most people do.
The solid woman of approximately 40 squeezed, prodded, squished, bent and pulled all of my joints as I lay fully clothed next to dozens of other tourists on similar tables enduring similar types of torture. The Thai massage is a rather interactive one. The therapist sat on the table for most of the time although there were moments when she straddled my lower back and for a short time, she actually knelt on all fours (her knees on my hamstrings and her hand on my back). She worked my muscles with her fingers, palms, elbows and feet, pulling me one way but pushing in another. I can still hear the clicking of my spine as she held my shoulder down while twisting my bent leg in the opposite direction. Click-click-click…
This wasn’t the total pretzel-torture I recall from a few years ago but that isn’t a bad thing. I am a bit more stretched out and a lot less stressed out. Lying in the sun all day can be stressful you know.
Afterward, I drank a few beers and ate some fried squid at the Reggae Bar much further down the Beach as I read a John Grisham novel, watching the sun tuck itself neatly into the ocean for yet another day.
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