Some people go to church on Sunday mornings, I ride my bike. No, not a Harley, this is one you pedal. Nor am I an ironman. I often do twenty-five miles, but I stop and have a snack, admire my surroundings. It's the ultimate in "me" time, and I love it.
One sunny Sunday morning I was meandering down a quiet residential street about ten blocks from home, and I spot a yard sale. I stopped to browse, and after going through some old books and men's ties, I notice a folded up massage table with a price tag of seventy dollars on it.
The lady running the sale looked to be in her late fifties, fit and quite attractive. She had her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wore little makeup. She confided that most of the items she was selling belonged to her late husband. He had been in poor health for some time and she often gave him a massage, hence the table.
I really didn't know much about massage other than the few times I had one I had really enjoyed the lavish attention given to my body. At sixty, I'm not in great shape. I have a paunch, but my legs, chest, and arms are still toned, and I try to keep my weight in check.
She was asking seventy dollars for the table, I offered fifty. She countered that if I paid the seventy, she'd throw in a free lesson in massage.
That sounded good to me. I had to come back anyway as I couldn't carry the table home on my bicycle. I left a deposit and we agreed I'd come back around five to pick up the table and have the lesson.
I rode back to my condo building, showered, and shaved. Put on a clean tee-shirt and jeans.
My car has a generous hatchback, so I figured that the table would fit no problem, and I arrived back at the house right at five.
The tables and junk were gone from the yard and the same lady that I had talked to earlier answered the door. She was wearing a pale blue satin outfit, calf-length pants, and button top, that looked like pajamas or judo attire. She introduced herself as Beth, and told her I was Myles.
I followed her downstairs and saw that the table I had bought was set up in a corner. The cozy room also contained yoga mats, weights, and an elliptical machine. She explained that she had owned a yoga studio in town, and had sold the business to a younger partner, but she still ran some classes a couple of times a week. She also had a few special students that would come to the house to work out.
Beth explained that before beginning a massage it was important to warm and stretch the muscles to make the body pliable. The best way to do this she felt, was to do a few yoga poses beforehand. If yoga wasn't possible, the person to be massaged should be put under a warm blanket and the masseuse should drape their body over the person. Using body heat and weight to warm and stretch the muscles.
I had done a few yoga classes and did enjoy them. With some trepidation, I agreed to give the yoga warmup a try.
Beth was pleased and told me to take off my jeans so that I could move and bend.
I wear cotton jockey briefs that show about the same as a bathing suit, so I felt pretty comfortable.
After some windmill like warmups, we did a forward fold, and downward dog. Nothing too strenuous. Then, Beth, had me crouch down on the mat into Child's pose. She positioned my hands out in front of my compacted body and then using her body weight she pushed on on my back. My knees and back were really being pulled, and it felt terrible but good at the same time. I could certainly tell she wasn't wearing a bra, as I felt her warm breasts push gently on my spine.
We held that pose for what felt like forever, but in reality was about two minutes. Beth then eased her body off of me and then had me lie face up in corpse pose. She rested her hands on my belly. As instructed I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. Beth gently walked me through the timing, "In, out, hold, and again."
My mind was clear and in a happy place as I felt her warm hand on my tummy. I may have been ready to drift off, and she must have known it, because she brought her lips to my ear and whispered, "Okay, you're ready for the table now."
I let the fog lift from my brain and stood to get onto the table.
"Get undressed and we'll start as always, face down," instructed Beth.
I took off my tee-shirt. "Everything, Myles, you don't wear a swimsuit in the bathtub and you don't bind your body when you get a massage. Besides, we'll be using a lot of oil and you'll just get messy."
I hesitated but only for a moment. At a certain age, your modesty goes out the window. By the time you get older, most people have seen a bunch of naked bodies and become comfortable in our own. Actually, I welcomed the freedom and intimacy of being naked in front of this lovely lady.
I pulled off my jockey shorts and lay face down as instructed. Beth placed a bath towel over my back and buttocks. She leaned forward and put her upper body weight on my back. She explained that a warm fluffy towel is better than a cotton sheet as it holds more heat, absorbs oil if things get too slippery, and is softer. She proceeded to move the towel lower on my body and again press her upper body weight against my butt and then my thighs and calves. Even though the towel, I could feel the softness and heat of her breasts. It was wonderful and tantalizing.
Beth left the towel on my lower body and moved to the head of the table. She had put some oil in a bowl and had it over a candle to warm. Using the warm oil to coat her hands, she started to work on my shoulders, neck, and back. She pushed down and in, towards my spine and then along the length of my back. I felt the taught ness of her groin as she pushed into the top of my head when she stretched to reach down the length of my back.