I love giving and receiving massages. I have to say I have received at least 500 massages so far, so I know what is a good massage and I tend to analyze the masseuse’s techniques when I receive a massage from one. I am a bit fan of Thai massage and whenever I visit BKK, I try to have a massage every other day. My love for massage is also contagious. Many of my students after receiving a nuru have gone on to explore other types of massages or nuru offered by other people to compare the effects. A few years back when one of my Sheila’s Approach Massage students- Foxy, lived in Vietnam, we would visit different spas- we would choose popular ones and go to their different branches. Everywhere I went, I would go for either a full body massage or Thai massage. As a regular client of Thai massage in BKK, I kinda knew some of their typical routines and the ones we received in Vietnam were a combination of different massages, never a real Thai massage. Many often times, after I received a massage, I felt disappointed because the masseuse either rushed it or forgot to do one of the moves on my one side or pulled my arm or shoulder. Despite not having found a perfect spa, I still enjoy trying new massages wherever I go. Recently I have tried Indian massages in HCMC ranging from head to foot, traditional to 4 hand massages multiple times. One of the massages on their menu says female only, which piqued my interest considering where KAMASUTRA is from 
. I visualized different scenarios and what could possibly takes place in such a massage. In reality, it is for females only because they don’t have male masseuse to work on men. There is nothing sensual or erotic about it. The massage where clients are closest to be fully naked is the powdered massage. The masseuse actually worked on my chest but in a very casual and nonsexual way. It’s like body scrubbing but with oil and steaming. I have never had a body scrub, so I don’t know if it’s any different in other spas. After maybe 8 massages in total, I’ve noticed the following:
There are more facial and hair treatments than any massage types on the menu. It gives off the vibe that Indian massages seem to cater to women mostly or at least the spa I visit often does.The spa also has many hair products and oil for sale. In general, Indian massages use a lot of oil, way more oil than in my nuru massage. The masseuse literally lather you with oil, and all massages seem to employ the same type of oil except for head massages. The techniques aren’t complex and quite repetitive; as a result, I feel painful at times because lots of pressure points are involved like in the head and foot massage. I had my eyes closed the entire time and every time I had a massage, but I knew what the masseuse was doing and what thumb was being used or what motion she was making. I could also tell from the pressure and the size of the hand who was more experienced or which masseuse was working on what side of my body. The thing that I found strange about the head and foot massage is that clients’ arms are also massaged for a short time. You wouldn’t have the best shampooing at an Indian spa since it’s not their main focus; washing your hair is just a necessary step to get rid of the hot oil the masseuse pours on you, which is the highlight of the massage. The fragrance of grapefruit leaves and the feeling of lukewarm oil on your head, which is supposed to make your hair shiny and strong, is addictive. During a champi, clients will also have their face cleansed and masked with cucumber slices. The masseuse doesn’t have long nails, so you won’t leave the spa with a red swollen head due to strong scratching, which is a norm at hair salons. The masseuse uses differnt fragrances during the massage, at the start, when drying your hair and after blowdrying your hair with hair serum. For foot massages, the masseuse uses a tool to prick your toes and worked on the pressure points on your instep, which is either ticklish or painful. For 4 hand massages, the routine can be described like this: you get undressed and wear a provided bathrobe and disposable panties. When you are ready, you are asked to sit down in front of a vainty table, the masseuse will then say a mantra and press some points on your head. Shortly after that, you are requested to move to the massage table when a second masseuse shows up and both start to work on your back while you are sitting. During the massage, you are asked to lie down and turn a few times which I find inconvenient. The masseuses must have used more than 0.5 litres of oil on my body and heated herbal compress balls pounded on my legs and back- which was a bit too hot and too strong for my liking. They also use hot stones over a drape at some point and on the sole of your feet. The massage concludes with the same moves as the start, your head and your back massaged lightly. Like the poweder massage, you are asked to sit in the saunna built for one person; I could feel my pores open wide and sweat sweeping away the oil on my body. When I emerged from the saunna, a shower running with the right temperature was waiting for me. I was literally naked in front of the two masseuse, which is inadvisable for shy women. What I like about Indian massages is the novelty of the saunna device, the powder they use, the manipulation of aroma, hot oil and mantras before certain massages which gives a sense of egnima, rituals, uniqueness and sacredness. The Indian masseuses also do not care about timing. They don’t chat with other masseuses or check their phones or cut into your massage time as masseuses do in most places. However, the oil essence and its fragrance the masseuse uses will linger on you and your clothes for the rest of the day or even the next day, so be prepared. I go there for the experience, conversations with the manager who shares the same principle as me (“massages can’t be rushed and clients need time to ease into it and relax afterwards”) and service, not the quality or technique of the massage. In fact, quite a few of my acquaintances that have tried Indian massages to the same extent agree with me that “their massages are just scratches on the back.”