Happy feet!

(the photo above was taken on our honeymoon last year during this time!)

Next Stop...Happy Foot

D and I both agree the best way to learn the lay of the land is by foot. That's exactly what we did last Saturday afternoon. Hong Kong is built into a mountain so you're constantly walking up and down hills. This must be why many of the Asian women who live here are so thin. Not only are they climbing up hills all day but they are doing it in 4 to 5 inch heels. I can hardly make it up the hills in flats!

By the time 5pm rolled around we were exhausted and our feet ached. One of the popular things to do in Hong Kong is go for a foot massage. Now when I think of foot massage, I think of those tiny, unkempt stores in Manhattan with big signs that say Foot Rub. This place was anything but.

Hong Kong is a vertical city so everything is located on different floors in high buildings. We took the lift (the word I'm supposed to use for elevator) to the 19th floor. I had never had a foot massage and wasn't sure what to expect.

We were greeted by friendly receptionists and then escorted into our own private room with big cushy reclining sofa seats. Our masseuses brought in big tubs of clean hot water for us to rest our feet in and hot tea for us to drink. There were large screen TVs for our use (although I haven't watched a single thing on TV since I've been here since my Cantonese isn't that good yet.)

Our feet were lotioned up and the 50 minute massage was in full swing. My masseuse who's name is Sue but is only known as #9 was quite excellent. Not only did she massage my feet, ankles, calves, quads, and thighs, she also provided a 5 minute back and neck massage at the end. It was a very relaxing experience. The room was dark and quiet. The only noise I hard was D using the ball on his blackberry to scroll down through his emails. He was NOT working.

Despite some sneezing followed by the light sniffing of #9, the experience was a positive one. I'm not sure if D felt the same for his wo(man) was not as gentle on him and there was a lot of slapping occurring toward the end. Overall, we were two pretty satisfied customers.

The next morning we both awoke with black and blues all over our legs. We didn't really mind the bruises though because we had four happy feet!