Relaxing massage the "New normal" way

It was a rainy afternoon from where I am. I can't really think of what to write or how should my blog look like. I can't think of any topic to talk about. Then while lying on my bed, a thought crossed my mind. I thought, why not write something that you had a first hand experienced. So I decided to have a "Relaxing massage the New Normal way".

As we all know, Covid - 19 has gotten the best of us. It has been almost 3 months when the quarantine took place and extreme lockdown was implemented to some barangays and municipalities. You might consider that this is a very difficult time in our lives. Stress is all over the place. Anxiousness and worries has been part of our daily lives. And now that quarantine period is lifted, it's time to have some relaxation.

So, I went to this place called "Hapihap SPA". In our dialect, Hapihap means to caress. This spa is just near my place so I just walked. Before I went to the place, I already had a reservation at 3:15PM MNL time. It is still raining but I managed to come on time.

When I entered the spa, I notice that there are new signages at the door. There were advices such as "No Mask, no Entry". And reminders to maintain social distancing. So since I already have a reservation, the receptionist accommodated me right away. There is also plastic shields over the counter and the receptionist is required to wear a face mask. Also, I was asked to fill out a form for contact tracing.

The session started by the massage therapist washing my feet. As a new protocol, it is also a new normal to wash my hands often so she also ask me to wash my hands. After that, I went to the room where the massage will take place. As normal, she gave me time to set up and lay on the bed faced down. I told myself, I ain't gonna sleep just yet because I need to feel this massage.

The message therapist asked me what level of pressure would I like to get. I have 3 options. Soft, moderate, or hard massage. I can't select really so I told her, moderate to hard massage. As normal she put an aroma oil below the bed that made me feel more relax. So she started on my feet, then buttocks, back and arms and lastly my head. Usually, there is also a face massage that I like the most but as the "new normal" the therapist told me that they don't do face massage for the meantime. I was a bit saddened by that because for me that was the most relaxing part of the massage.

Anyway, I wasn't able to stop myself from sleeping so while she was massaging my head, I fell asleep until my time's up. I woke up and dressed myself. Then the massage therapist came in again and gave me a hot lemonade. This is also one of my favorite when having a massage.

Furthermore, they had a price increase which I think is just fair because they can only operate at a limited time and it has been 3 months too that they don't have any earnings. The massage normally ranges only from $5 to $8 USD before but as the new normal it is now ranging from $7 to $12 USD. Anyway, I really like the massage therapist treatment of me so I tipped her $1 USD. I told her that when I come back to have a massage, I'll look for her.

I had a very relaxing afternoon indeed. For 90 minutes I forgot how stressful life is. I think all of us deserves to be pampered once in a while. Though not all can afford. Specially with the expected price increases. But I really suggest that you should find time to relax and recharge yourself to be able to put a fight against all the stresses in life. We can all make it and be used to a lot of "new normal" ways.

Enjoy your day!

:) ellimacandrea