Trial and Error
So this “massage” I was talking about. All things Malagasy, I guess it wasn’t that horrible.
Olive Spa is where I got my first massage and I continued to go there for over a year. The massages started to deteriorate, so I quit going. I tried another spa, which was good at first, but again, the quality started to deteriorate – the masseur would rub one leg and forget the other, or have a cold and be sniffing the entire massage. And it was a good 45 minute drive which is hard to take after a long day ( due to very poor roads, its probably only a 10 or 15km drive).
A few months ago, we found The Calypso, which was pretty good! Until 100 000 MGA ($50 CAD) was stolen from Louis’ locker….so I thought we’d go back to the Olive Spa.
They had changed locations are now in a new building. The old building was kind of creepy, frequently lost electricity, but it was clean and I liked its atmosphere. There is a mosque down the road so whenever the power went out, candles would be lit and I could hear the singing/worship from the mosque.
Anyway – this new location isn’t fantastic, but it’s convenient.
We parked the truck and went inside. I was happily greeted by Juliette – a girl that used to work at the Olive Spa that gave great massages!
And then we walked in further…and saw…two beds. Both of them had dirty, off-white blankets covering them and stained towels. Okay. I tried to remember where I was, and that I used to come to the “old” Olive Spa, so just relax. I did however, forget that Juliette and the other staff do not leave the room while you undress. It’s.. ah…. kind of awkward when you’re not used to it.
So I de-robed, and got down on the (dirty) bed. The massage started. Juliette rubbed SO HARD and SO FAST, I felt like she was on speed. And it hurt!!! I have NO IDEA why I didn’t stop and say, Listen, Juliette. This isn’t what I expected, I’m leaving. No. I just sat there, in pain and discomfort, while she gave me a massage. I kind of hoped that Louis’ massage was going good, so at least one of us could enjoy ourselves.
After the massage, Juliette took very old, hard towels, rinsed them in hot water, and then scrubbed me off to get all of the massage oil. This hurt!!! And I can’t confirm if the towel was used to wash the floors for the entire week. Or if the towel was washed between customers.
Before we left, Juliette gave me some “magic cream” in an empty soap dish with no lid to rub on my thighs and stomach when I “do sports” and it will make me skinnier. She kept telling me that was her gift to me. Well, Juliette, I hope that’s the only “gift” I get from this massage.
We made the mistake of asking what the price was AFTER the massage and it was a RIDICULOUS price, but we were tired, frustrated, and just wanted the hell out of there. They asked us to leave via the backdoor (??) and we barely made it into the truck without laughing. Unfortunately Louis had the same experience as I. Painful, awkward, but his included the extra sensory experience of smelling the masseuse after her being out during a long, hot day in the sun. Ick.
I was so happy to come home and scrub and scrub and scrub.
I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt that things were getting better and just stayed the entire time. I don’t know why we didn’t just get up and leave. I guess it was just a long week.
The good news is, neither of us seemed to have caught any illness…and we have learned about another place we can try. Who would have guessed that Toamasina has four or more “spa”s? Hopefully our next experience is less... gross.
Olive Spa is where I got my first massage and I continued to go there for over a year. The massages started to deteriorate, so I quit going. I tried another spa, which was good at first, but again, the quality started to deteriorate – the masseur would rub one leg and forget the other, or have a cold and be sniffing the entire massage. And it was a good 45 minute drive which is hard to take after a long day ( due to very poor roads, its probably only a 10 or 15km drive).
A few months ago, we found The Calypso, which was pretty good! Until 100 000 MGA ($50 CAD) was stolen from Louis’ locker….so I thought we’d go back to the Olive Spa.
They had changed locations are now in a new building. The old building was kind of creepy, frequently lost electricity, but it was clean and I liked its atmosphere. There is a mosque down the road so whenever the power went out, candles would be lit and I could hear the singing/worship from the mosque.
Anyway – this new location isn’t fantastic, but it’s convenient.
We parked the truck and went inside. I was happily greeted by Juliette – a girl that used to work at the Olive Spa that gave great massages!
And then we walked in further…and saw…two beds. Both of them had dirty, off-white blankets covering them and stained towels. Okay. I tried to remember where I was, and that I used to come to the “old” Olive Spa, so just relax. I did however, forget that Juliette and the other staff do not leave the room while you undress. It’s.. ah…. kind of awkward when you’re not used to it.
So I de-robed, and got down on the (dirty) bed. The massage started. Juliette rubbed SO HARD and SO FAST, I felt like she was on speed. And it hurt!!! I have NO IDEA why I didn’t stop and say, Listen, Juliette. This isn’t what I expected, I’m leaving. No. I just sat there, in pain and discomfort, while she gave me a massage. I kind of hoped that Louis’ massage was going good, so at least one of us could enjoy ourselves.
After the massage, Juliette took very old, hard towels, rinsed them in hot water, and then scrubbed me off to get all of the massage oil. This hurt!!! And I can’t confirm if the towel was used to wash the floors for the entire week. Or if the towel was washed between customers.
Before we left, Juliette gave me some “magic cream” in an empty soap dish with no lid to rub on my thighs and stomach when I “do sports” and it will make me skinnier. She kept telling me that was her gift to me. Well, Juliette, I hope that’s the only “gift” I get from this massage.
We made the mistake of asking what the price was AFTER the massage and it was a RIDICULOUS price, but we were tired, frustrated, and just wanted the hell out of there. They asked us to leave via the backdoor (??) and we barely made it into the truck without laughing. Unfortunately Louis had the same experience as I. Painful, awkward, but his included the extra sensory experience of smelling the masseuse after her being out during a long, hot day in the sun. Ick.
I was so happy to come home and scrub and scrub and scrub.
I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt that things were getting better and just stayed the entire time. I don’t know why we didn’t just get up and leave. I guess it was just a long week.
The good news is, neither of us seemed to have caught any illness…and we have learned about another place we can try. Who would have guessed that Toamasina has four or more “spa”s? Hopefully our next experience is less... gross.
Comments
Post a Comment