Two for the road ... a taste of Thai

Aaaaaahhhhhh. Three days of working. Three days of working with a headcold and cough. Three days of working with a headcold and a cough and shifting assignments with difficult families. Aaaarrrgggghhh (what a difference a few R's and G's make).

But now I'm off. And instead of leaving this morning for SLC, I decided to take a day to recuperate and revive. Booked a two hour Thai massage at Pho Siam. Aaaahhhh. Wonder Woman and Precious had been there recently and highly recommended it. And as they were with me when I got my first Thai massage, I trusted in their massage-discerning powers.

Got out to Pho Siam (in Echo Park) with a modicum of difficulty. Had to circle the park with the lake a few times before the location made sense. Sometimes on-line maps are not accurate (which makes me want to ditch index card directions and get a GPS system). Was pleasantly surprised to find that PS has its own, ample parking lot. Entered, and was soon shown in to a private room. Was told to change into the loose pants provided, and remain topless. If I hadn't've been forewarned by WW and P, I might have been a little freaked. As it was, I was only a little uncomfortable, and my worries soon evaporated, as the (female) masseuse draped me with towels when she entered.

I should explain that Thai massage is rather different from Swedish massage. Swedish massage uses a lot of oil, and long strokes to increase circulation and blood flow. I generally find that Swedish massage does little to hit my pressure points, and generaly get a deep tissue or sports massage to work through the knots that inevitably spring up in my neck and shoulders.

Thai massage, on the other hand, is much more active. Instead of lying on a raised table like a corpse, one lies on a flat mat on an area that gives the masseuse the ability to move about more freely. The masseuse can walk/move around, using feet, hands, elbows, forearms and knees to get at problematic areas. (The PS masseuse did use a little lotion, but I've not ever had any kind of lubricant with Thai massage before. This may just be a nod to Western ideas of what a massage should incorporate.)

The first hour of the massage, Kim (as I've arbitrarily decided to call her), kept me prone/supine while she loosened me up with lots of pressure. At times she was kneeling on my calves and thighs, at others she was standing up and using the ball, heel or side of her foot to work through my muscles. And there were time when I had to wince and pull away, at which points she backed off on the pressure (but not too much, I asked). Especially on my left leg, which I suspect is less flexible due to the way I dance.

The second hour was my favorite, as it incorporated more active, yoga-inspired stretching. The kind that I need a lot of motivation to do. I was sitting, kneeling, on my side, and everywhichway as Kim used all parts of her extremities to work me out. Again, the left hip is problematic, and I wonder what I can do at home to loosen it up.

When Kim finished, I felt simultaneously relieved and forlorn. I wanted it to go on forever, even as I knew that my body could use a break. I felt ... hmmmmm ... good. Longer. Looser. More flexible. Hmmmmmmm ...