M-whore

I have no issues to admiting and owning to the fact that I am a massage whore. I love receiving massages so I will pay good money for the best massage. I've been to many massage therapists and have experienced the whole gamut. I've had the utterly horrible one where you feel violated because you exposed yourself to a stranger and gave him/her money to fondle you and you feel embarassed. Luckily, I've also had the utter best massage, where you're so relaxed that you fall asleep at the table. I haven't limited my massage experience to my hometown. I've travelled abroad and tried various massage spas as well. While the setting may vary, the concept of having your muscles massages to relieve the tension is common and well-known.
Massage is a very personal experience. Some people don't feel comfortable undressing and being covered by a simple sheet; others, like myself, bare it all. In China, you don't undress as they provide you with a robe like suit that you don while your body feels like it's being broken. The amount of pressure that is applied is also personal. You can request a light touch or request the masochist pain-inflicting and tear-inducing pressure. Can you guess which one I request? For me, there's something satisfying in feeling pain. For me it means that the therapist has found the area of tension and is applying the right amount of pressure to relieve the tension. It helps that I have a high threshold for pain.
Finding the right massage therapist is like finding that right hairstylist or the great doctor. You have to ask for referrals and then try them yourself. I've found that the best massage therapists are not necessarily those found in those fancy spas. In fact, I experienced my worst massage at an upscale East Coast spa recommended by one of those over-priced glossy magazines. The therapist in question, handled me as if I were a piece of meat and that he was slapping around the table. It was the longest two-hours of my life. I could have requested him to stop but there were (very few) moments that made me believe that it would get better from then, and I wanted to believe that this expensive spa resort would hire therapists who knew what they were doing. It was a sad and unfortunate experience. One of the best massages I've had involved the back cracking experience. Even if I was not able to fall asleep at any point, I left the spa feeling relaxed and light.
I'm fortunate enough to have found a massage therapist I like in my city. J is absolutely wonderful. She gives 'em like I like 'em: deep, intense and satisfying. But what makes her really exceptional is the fact that she's an intuitive therapist. She can sense those areas of tension without me telling her. Some therapists do not have that sense of touch which is so crucial to being a great therapist. They continuously ask the client where they're feeling the tension. I'm able to walk into J's office and tell her the main areas that hurt me, but with a quick full body scan, she can identify the real problematic areas. As she works on me, she continuously adjusts her touch and the amount of pressure to relieve the tension. I always fall asleep at her table. J is one of my best kept secrets. I rarely go out of my way to recommend her. Don't get me wrong - she's absolutely fantastic. But I know the consequences of recommending great service providers. Their schedule begins to fill up, to the point that sometimes you can't even get a spot yourself. You might have to knead me to get her name.