This past Friday, on what was supposed to be my last day of work, I went to an Ayurvedic resort and spa with some of the Golden Girls and a few of the men. It was a blast, though unfortunately now I have to work Tuesday instead.
We arrived around noon on Friday and immediately got right down to cocktails and scheduling massages. The staff didn't know how to make bloody mary's so Pradip (the big guy in the white shirt) went behind the bar and taught them the ways. They also didn't have tomato juice so we ended up throwing whole tomatoes into the blender to make fresh tomato juice. I've never like a bloody mary before, but these were delicious!
My massage was at 3pm with Swati, a tiny girl from Kerala. It started a little something like this:
Swati: You change all
Me: Into what?
Swati: You change madam
Me: Into what?
Swati (holding up a scrap of cotton on a string): Panty. You change all.
Me: Naked?
Swati: Madam you change all
So finally I started to guess that I was supposed to strip down completely naked in front of this girl so as I started to take off each piece of clothes I asked "yes?" and she said "yes" and then as my last bit of clothes came off she tied the string around my waist and tucked the scrap of cotton into the front and then brought it between my legs and tucked it into the string at my back. So now I looked like I was either wearing a sheer cotton diaper or I was ready for a sumo wrestling match. Not sure what the point of the cotton sumo outfit was because I was otherwise naked and there were no towels to cover me on the table.
After Swati prayed to the gods and lit some insense, she poured oil into my hair. Then she rubbed it all over and did that wonderful head massage you always wish the shampoo girl would do for longer. Swati kept at my head massage for nearly ten minutes and I was in absolute bliss.
Then made me lay on the table and she took a pot of oil off the hot plate and began to drip it all over me. After she rubbed it in a little, she then poured oil in a thick stream all over me. Standing at my waist, she then used both hands to rub all the way from my ankle to my head in one forceful stroke. It was amazing! She was so vigorous that the poor girl was actually panting while she was massaging. She made figure-eights across my entire body, she concentrated on my legs, arms, feet, and hands, but mostly she made wonderful strong strokes from head to toe. I've had a few massages before I can honestly say that this was the best one I've ever had.
After the massage and the steam, she took me into the bathroom, untied my last scarp of modesty, and dumped buckets of hot water over me. She then rubbed me with a soap paste made from lentils, washed my hair, and rinsed me. Then she dried my hair with the towel and combed through it with her fingers. It was decadently wonderful and all for only $15!
The rest of Friday evening and Saturday morning was food, cocktails, dancing, rummy, and a lovely bonfire. I finally came out ahead in rummy and actually won 5 rupees, though I felt a little guilty taking money from the retirees.
On the left from the front: Nalini, Nishka (Nalini's daughter), Chandrika (Aunty Simha's sister), the owner of the spa. Head of the table is Uncle Anil, then me, Aunty Simha (Shanti), Nimila, and last is Pradeep in the white shirt.
