Spa Experience #1

Two weeks after my arrival, the team traveled to another city so I decided to head to the spa to have some nice relaxing "me time". Relaxing would probably be the last word used to describe my first spa experience.

I headed to the Hot Springs Resort, which happens to be across the street from our house. It was very difficult communicating to the ladies what I wanted to have done at the spa. It took about 30 minutes just to have them figure out I wanted a massage: a simple, basic massage.

They led me into a large locker room; It had wooden lockers and seemed like a normal spa changing room. They hand-motioned for me to take off my clothes. Naturally, I stripped down to my undergarments; It became awkward when they didnt give me anything to wrap around myself. I realized that no one had anything wrapped around themselves, or kept on their garments!

Next they took me into another large room with either open showers or individual showers (with no shower curtain) and motioned for me to shower.... I tried to tell them no thank you, I am nice and clean already but they weren't havin' it! I quickly got over being completely nude in front of a large room full of woman. Please keep in mind, I am not Chinese and there are not a lot of Westerners in Urumqi so I am already a spectacle to see - imagine what they thought when they were able to see a NAKED Westerner.

They gave me a short-sleeved shirt with matching shorts, the waist line made for a Chinese woman - meaning a size 0!! They lef me into a room with about 50 Laz-E-boy type chairs and asked me sit down. My masseuse came over with a small bucket of hot water, asking me to put my feet into it. It was SO hot! I tried to keep my feet at the top to slowly ease myself into the water but she grabbed my hands and pulled me into a standing position, dunking my feet into the scolding hot bucket of water!

So the massage begins... She makes me sit in an upright position on the ottoman of the chair. She starts rubbing my upper back and shoulders. This little 105lb girl puts her entire body weight into my back. I assumed this was a deep-tissue massage, it was SO painful! She puts her fingers in between each rib, ow!!

Then I sit down in the lazy boy Chair and she starts rubbing my feet and lower legs, this was the best part of the massage. She cracked each toe and really rubbed every inch of my feet. All of a sudden she busts our these glass bulb-like things and a small flaming torch. She puts the fire in the glass bulbs and suctions them to my feet, popping them off quickly. After a few popping-of-the-bulb procedure, she puts the flame in the bulb for about 10 seconds and sticks the bulbs onto my feet and leaves them there. It was the oddest thing I have ever seen. Apparently it is suppose to suction the toxins out of your body.....

After the bulbs lost suction and fall off of my feet, she has me turn over on my stomach. She climbs on top of me and sits on my butt! She is grinding her fingers into my back, continuing the deep-tissue massage (ow!) She starts to move South on my body. Next thing I know, she is massaging my@$$! She begins smacking it, squeezing it, and jiggling it!! I was so embarrassed; this is in a room full of people!

All of a sudden she is finished. She says "okay, bye!" and leaves me there to wonder back to the naked locker room feeling bruised, beaten, and violated. So much for a relaxing day at the spa!!

Thankfully I have found another spa, without the torture!