Thank god the holidays were over. Christmas and New Year's are a bummer when you spend them alone. That was my case; I had broken up with my girlfriend, Jasmine, after Thanksgiving, a big mistake. You should never break up before St. Patrick's Day.
I was super stressed attending our company's Christmas party alone looking for a hot woman to hook up with. I succeeded, but that was only short-term relief. My family lives across the country and I couldn't afford to travel to see them this year. Besides, most years when I went, there was always some kind of family drama that would break out. Fuck, I didn't need that stress on top of my own.
I had gotten a cash bonus from my workplace, so I thought I'd try a massage for the first time in my life. That was the best $120 I ever spent.
I found a spa just a few blocks from my apartment. It was in a strip shopping center and run by a Korean lady. At least, I think she was Korean. Her name was Mrs. Park.
They had a male masseur and several females. I picked a cute little brunette, named Janet. She was about twenty-five or thirty, I guess, and petite, barely five foot, with a slim figure, a pair of boobs about the size of giant oranges and very soft hands, which I found out later.
As we headed down the hallway, I asked, "I've never had a massage before. Do I leave any clothes on?"
"Whatever you are comfortable with. I've done them both ways. It's not like you've got anything that I don't have."
We stopped and Janet opened a door to a private room with a massage table covered with a white sheet. There was a ficus plant in one corner, some relaxing instrumental music playing, an aroma candle flickering in another corner and subdued lighting. She gave me a towel and left the room.
As I began to disrobe, hanging my all clothes on the hooks near the entrance, I wondered how this massage would feel. Wrapping the towel around the midsection of my nude body, I lay face down on the table with my head resting on the face hole padding of the table.
I heard several taps on the door and said, "Come in."
Janet stepped in, closed and latched the door behind her.
"I see that you have signed up for a ninety-minute massage."
"Yes, I need to relax."
"Where do you have tension?"
"Frankly, all over. I'm a big 'ol knot right now."
Janet's soft hands began to feel on my shoulders and neck. "Yes, you are very tight. Do you have a lot of stress in your job?"
"No, just my life."
She laughed, saying, "Don't we all. Since this is your first massage, I would recommend a Swedish massage."
"Why that one?"
"It's less intense than a deep tissue one or maybe an aromatherapy massage would be best. I would use an essential oil that you pick for the smell to help you relax. It's very much like the Swedish type except I use scented oil."
"Yes, that sounds good to me. Let's try that one."
"Tell me what you're feeling. Are you experiencing any anxiety, depression, headaches, or digestion problems?"
"I'm just a little down from the holidays and being single in a couples' world."
"So, some anxiety and maybe a little depressed?"
"Yes, I'd say so."
Janet moved to a cabinet with seven or eight small bottles in it. She moved a couple of the bottles around before saying, "Ahh, here it is. Smell these two and tell me which one you'd prefer."
I sniffed them both. One smelled like roses and the other I couldn't quite identify its fragrance, but I liked it better. "I like the one in your right hand."
"These are both good for relieving anxiety and depression. The one you picked also helps with libido, so jasmine it is."
God dammit, that just amped up my anxiety, but it did smell good. I've always loved that smell. Janet walked over to a diffuser and poured some of the oil in. The aroma began to fill the room.
Soon, she poured some warm oil on my back and began long slow strokes up and down the long muscles of my spine and my shoulders.
Fuck yes, this was exactly what I needed.
She worked my back, shoulders and neck for about fifteen minutes. I was beginning to feel like jelly. It was great, then she moved to my legs and feet. Damn, she knew what she was doing.