Feeling Thai massage
I went to Thailand recently and stayed in Chiang Mai for 3 days, mainly for relax and shopping. Also there was another major activity—chanting with my friends who went there too. But the most impressive activity was the Thai massage that we took.
Massage shops in Chiang Mai has a famous organization called Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution. It was built by Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, former Director of Chiang Mai Women’s Prison (2001 – 2008), to help support the lives of newly released inmates in society.
There are two types of shops: first one is opened around 8 am to 4 pm which is quite a short time since the employees are all from Chiang Mai Women’s Prison and they need to go back to prison in the evening; the second one is called Lila massage spa which the employees there are all former inmates, and the shops are more commercial and have a longer working time till 10pm. Lila massage spa has many branches in Chiang Mai and the business is quite good. In the shops, all I feel is comfortable and I even don’t know the background before I search on the Internet. It is a great idea to let inmates and former inmates to gain equal work opportunities without discrimination.
We booked the second type massage from the Internet, and the details of massage service could also be confirmed and payment was finished on line. Normally we need to book one day in advance.
We went to the shop from map guidance and checked in on time. Then we didn’t need to wait. If just dropping by, the waiting time would be very long according to the customer flow. I don’t recommend that.
When we came into the shop, we need to take off our shoes. It was a tremendous experience that socks were not needed there. The floor was a bit cold so we quickly found somewhere to sit. Then we can hold up our feet and they would not feel cold. Walking barely on foot was a special feeling and we could feel the floor more sensitively. At home we don’t have that chance. So in Thailand we enjoyed it and as if we were more down-to-earth.
The massage package we chose was coconut oil massage. A friend and I chose the same one. In the Lila shop also two customers were in a room with two masseuses. It was interesting that my friend and I chanted in Chinese and the two masseuses chanted in Thai. We all chanted happily.
My masseuse could speak English well and the service was quite good. In the beginning, she adjusted the room temperature and brought herb tea for us. At my request, she used light strength so that I felt not too hurt. The first step was using body scrub to remove dead skin. Since my dead skin was a lot, the masseuse played a joke with me by repeating “Sipi” all the time.
Then I took a shower to wash off the dead skin, the oil massage began. The smell of coconut oil was quite nice, a bit feeling like food and not too cloying. My masseuse kept gentle and wow, I felt quite comfortable.
In the middle break, when my friend was taking a shower. My masseuse asked me to do her a favor. “Could you teach me four Chinese words?” “Sure. What do you want to learn?”
She pointed some articles that in the room, like a box of tissue and so on. When I said one word in Chinese, she would write down the pronunciation in Thai just like what we did in learning a foreign language. She told me that every day she would like to remember four Chinese words in order to communicate with Chinese customers better. I thought she was a spanker. No wonder her English was so good. She was that kind of person that loved whatever job one took up.
So the experience in Chiang Mai was quite relaxed and comfortable, especially the Thai massage and the spirit of my masseuse.
前陣子去泰國(guó)旅行摔蓝，在清邁住了三天，主要是在休閑購(gòu)物，還有和同去的朋友們聊天腿椎。而印象最深刻的是我們?nèi)L試的泰式按摩优烧。
清邁的按摩店有一個(gè)很有名氣的連鎖組織，叫清邁女子監(jiān)獄庸娱，是以前的監(jiān)獄長(zhǎng)Naowarat Thanasrisutharat (2001-2008年在職) 創(chuàng)辦的着绊，分兩種，一種就叫清邁女子監(jiān)獄熟尉，按摩師是監(jiān)獄服刑的女犯人归露，每天定時(shí)出來(lái)給到店里客人按摩，然后再送回監(jiān)獄斤儿，這樣店里每天營(yíng)業(yè)的時(shí)間就不太長(zhǎng)剧包，一般是早八點(diǎn)到晚四點(diǎn)；另一種叫Lila massage spa往果，是雇傭的服刑期滿(mǎn)的女士疆液，店就更商業(yè)化一些，營(yíng)業(yè)時(shí)間很長(zhǎng)陕贮，可以到晚上十點(diǎn)堕油，分店也很多。這個(gè)理念很好肮之，幫助刑滿(mǎn)釋放的人獲得工作機(jī)會(huì)掉缺，不會(huì)被歧視。我是從網(wǎng)上查才得知的這些比較細(xì)節(jié)的信息戈擒，去店里就是很正常很溫馨的感覺(jué)眶明。
我們預(yù)約的店是后一種。從網(wǎng)上可以直接預(yù)訂峦甩，錢(qián)都付了赘来，一般可以約第二天的现喳。到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)得排隊(duì)，而且根據(jù)各家分店的客流情況犬辰，有可能會(huì)等很久嗦篱，不是很建議。
進(jìn)店都要脫鞋幌缝，在泰國(guó)這幾天就沒(méi)穿過(guò)襪子灸促，進(jìn)去之后地面有的還行有的冰冰涼，就趕緊找個(gè)地方坐下涵卵，抬起腳來(lái)浴栽。赤著腳走感覺(jué)確實(shí)不一樣，可能平時(shí)沒(méi)有這種機(jī)會(huì)吧轿偎，特別接地氣典鸡，真正感觸地面的質(zhì)感。
我和一起去旅行的一個(gè)舍友挑的都是椰子油按摩套餐坏晦，我倆分在同一間房間里萝玷，兩個(gè)女技師同時(shí)為我們服務(wù)。比較逗的是昆婿，按摩的過(guò)程中我和我舍友拿中文聊天聊得挺嗨球碉，那兩位技師拿泰語(yǔ)聊天聊得也挺嗨。我們互不干擾仓蛆，工作休閑兩不誤啊睁冬。
給我按摩的這位技師英文說(shuō)的很好，服務(wù)也很周到看疙。首先是給我們調(diào)節(jié)室溫豆拨，還準(zhǔn)備好花草茶。在我的要求下狼荞，她用的力道也比較輕辽装，讓我沒(méi)覺(jué)得很疼帮碰。第一步是用身體磨砂膏來(lái)去死皮相味。技師可能覺(jué)得我這死皮太多了，一直拿中文說(shuō)“死皮死皮”殉挽，讓我樂(lè)得不行丰涉，這也太有執(zhí)念了吧。
然后洗個(gè)澡,把死皮都洗下去斯碌。接下來(lái)就是精油按摩一死，椰子油的味道很清淡，有一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)食物的香味傻唾，又不膩投慈，技師還是輕輕柔柔的承耿，啊，好享受伪煤。
中間休息了幾分鐘加袋，在等我朋友洗澡出來(lái)，這個(gè)時(shí)候我的按摩師說(shuō)“你可以幫我一個(gè)忙嗎抱既？”我“說(shuō)什么忙呀职烧？” “教我四個(gè)中文詞可不可以？”“好防泵，這沒(méi)問(wèn)題”
她就指四周能看到的東西蚀之，比如紙巾盒，就說(shuō)這個(gè)怎么說(shuō)捷泞，我說(shuō)紙巾足删，她還拿泰語(yǔ)拼一下音，就像我們學(xué)外語(yǔ)標(biāo)拼音一樣锁右。我覺(jué)得她是個(gè)了不起的人壹堰。怪不得英文說(shuō)的就很好。她就是那種干一行愛(ài)一行的人骡湖。
感覺(jué)旅行中有這么一個(gè)按摩放松的環(huán)節(jié)贱纠，真挺舒服的，還有從按摩師身上學(xué)到的精神响蕴，很棒谆焊。這就是在清邁最深刻的一個(gè)體會(huì),有機(jī)會(huì)真的建議來(lái)體驗(yàn)一下。
（圖片來(lái)自lila massage官網(wǎng)浦夷，
http://www.chiangmaithaimassage.com/gallery.php?lng=en ）
