I have been teaching so much yoga lately and practicing so much that my body is just tired and sore. I have been CRAVING a massage.
My friend K came to my rescue. She had a gift certificate for a massage that she wasn't going to use. Seriously?! I jumped at the opportunity.
The gift certificate was for Planet Beach which is just a weird place. I've been there before to do the whole spray tan thing but I hadn't used any other of the funky things there.
I picked the Aqua Massage. And, I panicked when I saw the thing!

You've seen them in airports and malls, right?
My main concern was that I have a little problem with claustrophobia. Logically I know it is ridiculous and my yoga breathing really helps...but there are times that I feel like my heart will leap out of my chest or just flat out quit. I'm turning into my father. I got through it imagining that it was my friend K in the pod and listening to her GIGGLE!
So, you climb into the tube thing and you have a remote that controls pressure and has a hold button if you find a spot you like. Then the lid slowly closes...ugh. Then it pulses water "over" you. I say "over" because you don't actually get wet.
As far as the actual massage goes, it lasted twenty minutes and by the end I was actually calm. I thought it put a little too much pressure on the delicate cervical spine and not enough pressure anywhere else. It was especially nice on the legs. I used the hold button on my aching calves for a long time. But, it doesn't really get to that tension between the shoulder blades which is my ouch spot.
I don't mean to seem ungrateful for the generous gift, but in this girl's humble opinion, nothing beats a hands on massage. Plus, it seems like more of a treat.
My body is now really aching for a massage...
PS--my friend got the gift certificate through her church. there was a sermon about taking care of yourself and it really resonated with one of the attendees so she came back with gift certificates for everyone. what a wonderful thing to do for someone...a whole lotta someones!