My weekly indulgence

36 weeks pregnant now, not sleeping well, waddling around like an Oompa Loompa, legs hurt, back hurts, ugh, I could go on, but I don't want to discourage others from what I'm sure is the miracle of birth.  So one day I opted, while at the mall, to get a quick 20 minute back massage at the Chinese (?) store in Saugus.  There's a store upstairs and a kiosk down below, but, not wanting to get a massage in front of every mall passer-by, I opted for the store.

Heaven.  I've been back three times!  Each time I go, there's a different group of folks working in there, so I get the experience of three different massages.  The first lady was uber-strong, and ended with a really nice face massage.  The second time I went, I got a guy who focused a lot on my legs and arms, which was awesome.  Today, I had a younger girl, who worked on my joints (knees/wrists) and came around to work on my pecs (awesome!). 

I've always been a massage junkie - I've had regular therapeutic massage, Thai massage, Ayurvedic massage, Aromatherapy massage, Champi, Shiatsu, you name it.  I actually watch massage instructional videos to help me get to sleep at night.  Once I'm not pregnant, I'd like to try the Ashiatsu massage, where people use bars on the ceiling to hold their body weight while they walk on your back.  Unfortunately, massages are an expensive habit.  I get free prenatal massages at my doctor's office, but the woman giving them was not very good.  It was more painful than necessary, and she wouldn't do the same thing on both sides of my body, which did not suit my OCD. 

Mall massages are the best because they are inexpensive.  For $20, you get a good 20 minutes, which relaxes and refreshes.  It's pretty quiet where I get them done, and everyone is super nice.  The massage chairs are really comfortable and they go out of their way to adjust them for my expanding belly.  Plus, they have a card that I get stamped every 10 minutes and will soon get a free 10 minutes.

Jon does Israeli martial arts every week that runs about the same price as a weekly massage, so I figure it's a fair deal.  While I get massages, I hear another massage person standing outside the store offering to give massages to people, and they always say "No thanks" or "I wish I had time" and I'm telling you, this is worth making time for!  The next time you walk by one of these places, do your body a favor and indulge - totally worth it!!