Grappling Massage

I thought it would be fun to do something new to celebrate our anniversary this year.  I suggested we go for a massage.  Neither of us has had a massage before.  

My sister had one prior to her wedding, and I drilled her with questions about it.  I was always too nervous to try it out.  Through the years, I've met more and more folks who speak highly of getting a massage, so I finally decided to brave it.

Well, sort of brave....I suggested that The Referee and I go together.  That worked out great.  We went to a business that was a chain of massage stores.  I checked out their website in great detail before calling for an appointment.  They were running an introductory massage special.  It turns out, they have a room with 2 massage beds, so we received our massages at the same time, together.  

I made sure to mention that neither of us had received massages before.  We needed a full explanation of what to do.  How much do we undress?  Thankfully, this place was real good about explaining every detail, including how much to tip.  Some of us need things spelled out plain and simple like that, especially when we are nervous about a new adventure.  

My massage experience was wonderful.  They masseuse was very professional and only uncovered the part she was working on.  I became so relaxed that I feared I would fall asleep and start drooling.  I had been suffering with a knotted shoulder muscle, and the masseuse worked that out great.  It hurt while she was working on it.  But, when I stood up afterward, I was shocked by just how low my shoulders fell back into their normal place.  I guess I had been so tense before that I did not notice my close my shoulders were getting to my earlobes.  I am definitely a fan of massage.

The Referee had me cracking up as he compared his massage experience to a grappling match.  He said he felt like he had just gotten his butt kicked.  His masseuse had a working knowledge of pressure points.  Prior to this massage, The Referee had only considered pressure points in terms of Tae Kwon Do and self defense (hit someone's pressure point to get them to let go of you during an attack, so that you can get away).  He described how the masseuse would get a hold of his muscle, right at the pressure point, and get him in a lock.  It must have been an effective method, because as soon as she let go, he said his muscle went limp.  At first, he thought his massage experience was painful.  Being the extreme introvert that he is, he was also uneasy with a stranger touching him.  I can see where massage was outside his comfort zone.  

We went to dinner afterward, and within an hour, The Referee was so mellow that I was laughing at him again.  He was even swaying to the music at the Brazilian restaurant.  It was good music, and we went at a non-crowded time frame, so we could hear the full concert very well.  Still, it was funny to see The Referee so relaxed and enjoying himself.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner, and many laughs.

Even though both of us thought a nap sounded like a great idea, I found myself too busy tending to the kids to actually lay down.  I couldn't even manage to get to bed on time.  But, I was totally relaxed while I went about the rest of my day.