The Saturday Ramble
Saturday, March 29, 2003
GETTING RUBBED THE RIGHT WAY
I knew a guy once who had a thing about feet.
He didn’t want a photo of my face, or even my feet in high heels. He wanted a photo of the soles of my feet. He saw my soles – walking away.
I thought about him for the first time in a long time on Thursday, as I sat nearly boneless while a slender young Asian man spent almost an hour lavishing attention on my feet and legs. He seemed quite happy to do so – other women came and went in the chairs next to mine while he worked. I’m sure he did it for the tip he received (a generous one, of course), but I wondered idly a few times if a camera would emerge eventually.
If it had meant another 20 minutes of massage, I don’t know that I would have disagreed this time.
I’ve heard men complaining at times about the expenses of women’s professional grooming: haircuts, manicures, pedicures, facials and the like. A “manly man” would not submit to the fussy frivolousness of such activities. But I think they’re missing out – on two different levels.
Women, you see, have the inside track on what this grooming actually results in – someone massaging you, relaxing you, for long periods of time. Last weekend I made an impulsive foray into a huge shopping mall, intending to get a quick hair trim and buy a few books. I wound up with the shortest haircut I’ve had in over a decade, and bags of makeup and bath gels. At the hair salon, an energetic, gregarious Israeli woman took her time washing my hair, giving me a good scalp massage in the process, then took another 30 minutes to cut, brush and dry my hair. Besides the pleasure of dishing about Sharon and Netanyahu with her, I got the benefits of major relaxation from all the work on my hair. That’s always been one of my favorite things; I’ve been known to give friends massages in exchange for having them brush my hair for a long time. I think a lot of women are the same, and many men – although one man I dated didn’t want me to touch his hair. The relationship didn’t last long.
But haircuts are not the only source of such pleasure, as I well know. Since it’s approaching summer, I determined earlier this week to get my first pedicure of the season. There’s a little nail place near where I work – one of literally dozens in the city – where on Thursdays you can get a pedicure, manicure and eyebrow waxing for $20. Considering that the little massage place in the middle of the local mall charges $10 for a 10-minute massage, it’s not a bad deal at all. Knowing the routine, I took a pair of baggy pants with me to work and changed into them before going to the nail place. When I arrived, there were already more than a dozen women in various stages of beautification throughout the shop. The shop owners, and most of the workers, are Asian – I suspect Korean immigrants, although I didn’t ask – so I not only was encouraging the economy and supporting small business, but was fostering international relations as well. Heady stuff for $20.
This is the pedicure routine: You sit in a cushioned chair on a stand that includes a foot-tub with jacuzzi jets right in front of you. After a few moments of soaking, the pedicurist begins rubbing and grooming your feet. He takes the lotions and scrubber foam all the way to your knee, massaging and rubbing. After rinsing, he takes one side at a time and spends 10 minutes or more massaging lotion into your skin from knee to toes. That’s the part where you nearly melt into the water-jetting foot tub - I personally think they need seatbelts on the chairs. By the time he’s done and starting the actual nail polishing, it’s quite anti-climatic.
Manicures involve massaging too, but not as long, and not above the wrist. It still feels good, but … well… it just can’t compare. I know some people are horrified at the thought of someone touching their feet, but once you’ve had a pedicure I don’t think you’ll be able to find that horror again. It just feels too good. And for the manly men – nobody says a pedicure has to end with nail polish!
And the second way men are missing out? As if not getting a massage isn’t enough? Glad you asked. You see, the benefits don’t come just from receiving a pedicure or manicure, but from encouraging your lovely partner to get one, or – if you really want the points – giving her one yourself.
A woman who has been exquisitely pampered with a manicure and pedicure is going to come home refreshed and feeling beautiful. And what woman isn’t more open to advances from her special guy when she’s feeling like a lovely little kitten that’s been rubbed the right way? If that special guy went out of his way to make it happen – made sure she had the wherewithal, took the burden of kids and dinner off her hands, etc. – well, the only thing that could improve on that would be a box of Godiva chocolates. That’s not to say that you always expect a one to one benefit; you’re not that kind of guy, right? This is one of those things that pays cumulatively, and usually with compounding interest.
And then for the truly brave… you can give her a pedicure yourself. Now, this takes practice and dedication, but few women could resist a guy who would take an hour out of his day to sit at her feet, literally, to pamper her. It hits on several levels – how sweet that he took the time, how wonderful it feels to be pampered, how cute he is trying to figure out how to polish her toenails without getting it on her ankles and all over the floor – I could go on for a while. But it’s the massages that turn the tide. Any man who regularly gives his partner massages – including foot and leg massages – is going to win some serious points. One note of caution, however: Do not under any circumstances do this in public. A talented yet disinterested pedicurist rubbing you down in an open salon is one thing; a pedicure between partners is something else entirely. As one who has unwillingly observed them in action, I beg of you -don’t do it.
My own little pedicurist wended his way from scrubbing lotion to massage lotion to strategic pounding of my calves to a final blissful hot-towel wrap around my lower legs. I contemplated asking him if he made house calls. Or if he was available for full-time employment. I never quibbled about the cost, or worried about how much to give in tip; I nearly dumped the contents of my purse on his head in a spontaneous outpouring of gratitude. In these stressful times, ladies and gentleman, I can’t sing the praises of personal grooming enough.
And I don’t think I have to take a picture for you to see it. ¶ 8:31 AM 0 Comments
I knew a guy once who had a thing about feet.
He didn’t want a photo of my face, or even my feet in high heels. He wanted a photo of the soles of my feet. He saw my soles – walking away.
I thought about him for the first time in a long time on Thursday, as I sat nearly boneless while a slender young Asian man spent almost an hour lavishing attention on my feet and legs. He seemed quite happy to do so – other women came and went in the chairs next to mine while he worked. I’m sure he did it for the tip he received (a generous one, of course), but I wondered idly a few times if a camera would emerge eventually.
If it had meant another 20 minutes of massage, I don’t know that I would have disagreed this time.
I’ve heard men complaining at times about the expenses of women’s professional grooming: haircuts, manicures, pedicures, facials and the like. A “manly man” would not submit to the fussy frivolousness of such activities. But I think they’re missing out – on two different levels.
Women, you see, have the inside track on what this grooming actually results in – someone massaging you, relaxing you, for long periods of time. Last weekend I made an impulsive foray into a huge shopping mall, intending to get a quick hair trim and buy a few books. I wound up with the shortest haircut I’ve had in over a decade, and bags of makeup and bath gels. At the hair salon, an energetic, gregarious Israeli woman took her time washing my hair, giving me a good scalp massage in the process, then took another 30 minutes to cut, brush and dry my hair. Besides the pleasure of dishing about Sharon and Netanyahu with her, I got the benefits of major relaxation from all the work on my hair. That’s always been one of my favorite things; I’ve been known to give friends massages in exchange for having them brush my hair for a long time. I think a lot of women are the same, and many men – although one man I dated didn’t want me to touch his hair. The relationship didn’t last long.
But haircuts are not the only source of such pleasure, as I well know. Since it’s approaching summer, I determined earlier this week to get my first pedicure of the season. There’s a little nail place near where I work – one of literally dozens in the city – where on Thursdays you can get a pedicure, manicure and eyebrow waxing for $20. Considering that the little massage place in the middle of the local mall charges $10 for a 10-minute massage, it’s not a bad deal at all. Knowing the routine, I took a pair of baggy pants with me to work and changed into them before going to the nail place. When I arrived, there were already more than a dozen women in various stages of beautification throughout the shop. The shop owners, and most of the workers, are Asian – I suspect Korean immigrants, although I didn’t ask – so I not only was encouraging the economy and supporting small business, but was fostering international relations as well. Heady stuff for $20.
This is the pedicure routine: You sit in a cushioned chair on a stand that includes a foot-tub with jacuzzi jets right in front of you. After a few moments of soaking, the pedicurist begins rubbing and grooming your feet. He takes the lotions and scrubber foam all the way to your knee, massaging and rubbing. After rinsing, he takes one side at a time and spends 10 minutes or more massaging lotion into your skin from knee to toes. That’s the part where you nearly melt into the water-jetting foot tub - I personally think they need seatbelts on the chairs. By the time he’s done and starting the actual nail polishing, it’s quite anti-climatic.
Manicures involve massaging too, but not as long, and not above the wrist. It still feels good, but … well… it just can’t compare. I know some people are horrified at the thought of someone touching their feet, but once you’ve had a pedicure I don’t think you’ll be able to find that horror again. It just feels too good. And for the manly men – nobody says a pedicure has to end with nail polish!
And the second way men are missing out? As if not getting a massage isn’t enough? Glad you asked. You see, the benefits don’t come just from receiving a pedicure or manicure, but from encouraging your lovely partner to get one, or – if you really want the points – giving her one yourself.
A woman who has been exquisitely pampered with a manicure and pedicure is going to come home refreshed and feeling beautiful. And what woman isn’t more open to advances from her special guy when she’s feeling like a lovely little kitten that’s been rubbed the right way? If that special guy went out of his way to make it happen – made sure she had the wherewithal, took the burden of kids and dinner off her hands, etc. – well, the only thing that could improve on that would be a box of Godiva chocolates. That’s not to say that you always expect a one to one benefit; you’re not that kind of guy, right? This is one of those things that pays cumulatively, and usually with compounding interest.
And then for the truly brave… you can give her a pedicure yourself. Now, this takes practice and dedication, but few women could resist a guy who would take an hour out of his day to sit at her feet, literally, to pamper her. It hits on several levels – how sweet that he took the time, how wonderful it feels to be pampered, how cute he is trying to figure out how to polish her toenails without getting it on her ankles and all over the floor – I could go on for a while. But it’s the massages that turn the tide. Any man who regularly gives his partner massages – including foot and leg massages – is going to win some serious points. One note of caution, however: Do not under any circumstances do this in public. A talented yet disinterested pedicurist rubbing you down in an open salon is one thing; a pedicure between partners is something else entirely. As one who has unwillingly observed them in action, I beg of you -don’t do it.
My own little pedicurist wended his way from scrubbing lotion to massage lotion to strategic pounding of my calves to a final blissful hot-towel wrap around my lower legs. I contemplated asking him if he made house calls. Or if he was available for full-time employment. I never quibbled about the cost, or worried about how much to give in tip; I nearly dumped the contents of my purse on his head in a spontaneous outpouring of gratitude. In these stressful times, ladies and gentleman, I can’t sing the praises of personal grooming enough.
And I don’t think I have to take a picture for you to see it. ¶ 8:31 AM 0 Comments
