Another great spa experience!

Last week I redeemed my birthday present from Rach (a gift certificate to a spa in Itaewon). I couldn't decide between a massage and a pedicure...so I wound up splitting the difference and getting a foot massage. This experience was interesting, ranking on the interesting scale somewhere between the acupuncture incident and the Hong Kong acupressure massage incident.

First of all, I don't know what to think during a massage. I cannot shake the feeling that this experience is, in fact, weird. I mean, I just met this person. Don't know their name, where they're from, if they're licensed, if they've ever spent time in the clink, nothing.

And if the weirdness isn't enough, I feel uber-pretentious the whole time. Like "I have enough money to pay someone to rub my feet" which to me no amount of money should justify rubbing someone's stinky smelly feet (not that mine are like that...mine are quite nice actually). I just want to apologize the whole time.

So on this particular occasion, the foot massage seemed like a good idea. That is, until I remembered that I am quite ticklish. But of course by that point, it was far too late to do anything about it. On top of that, it HURTS when someone presses on the bottom of your foot! I literally spent an hour trying to stifle the laughter/screaming that was trying to shimmy its way from my brain out my mouth.

For the record, I have never, ever walked out of a massage thinking "Wow - that was so relaxing!" I usually walk out limping and whimpering like an injured animal. Geez - last week my wrists were stabbed repeatedly with needles and it didn't hurt half as much as that.

Also got my travel shots a few days ago - Typhoid and HepA. HepA made my tongue go numb and Typhoid made every muscle in my body feel like I got run over by a bus. The doctor suggested I get malaria pills but I told him that a few years ago I got bitten by a spider and felt this tingling powerful feeling and since then I've kind of felt...superhuman...so I didn't think malaria would be a problem. Actually I've just heard terrible things about them, and I've done research and I don't think I need them. Please pray I don't get malaria.

Leaving Korea in 11 days, God-willing! CRAZY!!