Relax, this won't hurt...much

Today, I took some time for me!  My dear sweet friend, MA, got me a gift certificate for a Thai massage.  I called the babysitter service, hired a sitter for a few hours and enjoyed some quiet time.  I went shopping, didn't buy anything, but it was nice to look without chasing down one of the kids.  Then, I headed off to the massage.  I was a bit early, so I grabbed some taco rice to go, had a quick lunch and headed in.  Now, let me start by saying that the last massage I had was in Portland, OR, at the wonderful Aveda spa.  Thank you, my dear husband, for that treat.  However, that was back in 2002.  Our little H was only around 18 months old.  It's been THAT long!  Today's massage was a Thai massage.  It was so very different from what I thought.  If any of you get a chance to do a Thai massage, and you have a pretty high pain tolerance, do it!!!  The massage place is this little spot with 2 massage rooms.  The sweet little man that was to do the massage kept calling me P-san, and was just wonderful.  They give you a tshirt and gym shorts to change into and slippers.  He runs a small basin of warm water.  He tells you to sit and soak your feet in this basin and adds Thai lemongrass.  The smell alone relaxes you.  He then proceeds to massage your feet, wash your feet and dry them.  He proceeds to tell you to lie down and he puts on a headband.  Not the terrycloth sweatband of sports wannabees, but the serious Karate Kid cloth tied around your head.  He tells you to please let him know if you cannot take the pain, which is a bit disconcerting.  You lie down, face up, on a massage mat.  He covers you with a blanket.  He starts at your feet.  He works diligently, bending your feet in ways you cannot possibly imagine.  I must admit, at this point, I was still thinking:  I'm paying for a sitter and I should probably start relaxing soon to enjoy this, but I'm paying for a sitter.  Oh, what else do I have to do today?  Then, out of the blue, I close my eyes and just RELAX.  I swear, I am getting so relaxed I see just colors (my eyes are closed).  He works his way up your legs and bends you and stretches you.  He applies pressure to all these weird points that you can feel it in your molars.    He manipulates you into positions where he is holding your ankles and works your thighs with his feet, which he has kindly covered with clean socks.  He works your arms.  By the time he told me to roll over, I swear I completely forgot he was there.  He said "P-san, please roll over" and it startled me!  I was THAT RELAXED.  He works your back and your shoulders.  There is PAIN, serious pain.  He pushes points near your spine that bring tears to your eyes.  He goes up and down your spine, at least 3 times.  I kept thinking, OUCH, this has got to be the last time.  Why didn't I ask him to stop?  Maybe pride, maybe I just wanted to see what was next and was sure it couldn't get worse.  It hurt, alot.  It felt like he was pulling your muscles away from your body and working them.  He spent almost 70 minutes working out all my stresses.  He offered me some cold Japanese tea, but I'm still not a fan of tea, so I politely declined.  I swear, I am now 2 inches taller and so relaxed that it's ridiculous.  I'm pretty sure I will have some bruises on my back and shoulders tomorrow, but it was so worth it.  Thank you, MA, for such a wonderful treat!  I cannot wait to go back!

I came home after that, relieved the wonderful babysitter, and got the kids ready to head to the dentist.  Gotta love the Japanese dentists' office.  They are so efficient.  I got all three boys checkups and cleanings and was there a little over an hour.  They did all three at the same time, in separate rooms.  K and A came through with wonderful checkups.  H had a good checkup, but the dentist recommended putting a sealant on his molars.  So we will be heading back next week to get that done.    

Came home, made a delicious enchilada dinner, no fights from the kids and we are winding down the night.  A actually loved his dinner and requested seconds.  This, alone, is amazing, as he's been battling me almost every meal since daddy's been gone.  

It's been a productive day and I'm ready to just sit down, have a nice glass of wine and watch a movie with my boys.