A guest post by Kristin Bair O’Keeffe. You can follow Kristin on Twitter.
Two weeks ago, I went for my weekly foot massage at a small but charming parlor in the French Concession in Shanghai. After soaking my feet in a steaming herbal bath, giving my neck and shoulders a 
good rub, #28 set to work. (The young masseurs and masseuses in Shanghai spas are referred to by numbers instead of names; at first asking for “number 4” or “number 16” is a little disconcerting for those of us from countries in which individuality is paramount, but you get used to it.)
As always, during the first few minutes of the massage, my toes were ticklish. I jerked and jittered as #28 began his work. Shanghai is a huge city with a population of nearly 20 million people. It’s loud, stinky in the summertime heat, and fast.
At the end of each week—after jostling for space on sidewalks, surviving at least three near-death-experiences with careening vehicles, and trying to wrap my head around the ever-increasing number of construction sites that sprout up daily—I am emotionally ready for my foot massage. My body, on the other hand, takes a little while to relax.
About thirty minutes into the massage, #28 pressed on a spot on the arch of my left foot. I yelped and nearly leapt out the chair. I learn a lot of my new vocabulary words in Mandarin from the masseurs in Shanghai, but I didn’t need one right then. Yelping is part of a universal vernacular.
#28 shook his head. “Wèi,” he said. Stomach. Then “Wèitòng.” Stomachache. He was quite serious and very concerned.
I shook my head back at him. “Méi you.” Meaning no, I didn’t have a stomachache. As far as I knew, my stomach was fine.
But #28 was confident I was having stomach problems. To prove it, he leaned forward and pressed a spot near the bend in my arm. It felt as if he’d buried a knife in me. “Geez,” I said in English, “that hurt.”
#28 nodded sagely, as did #9 who was working on my husband’s back.
As #28 moved on to other parts of my foot, I whispered to my husband, “This is why I love China.” And it is. There are lots of reasons on any given day that I get frustrated with life in Shanghai, but my weekly foot massage takes the sting out of many of them.
In addition to increasing my Mandarin vocabulary, during each massage I learn a little bit more about Chinese culture, belief systems, and the individuals who work on my feet. I also get to share a little bit of me; I answer questions about speaking English, life in America, and my experiences as a foreigner in China.
As I sat back to enjoy the rest of the massage, I considered the fact that within days I was going to have stomach trouble. These guys were never wrong. Each time they tell me that something is going on with my body (even things unbeknownst to me), they’re right. I’m no expert on the science behind foot massage, but after three and a half years in Shanghai, I know a few things:
1) like everything else in China, foot massage dates back a long, looonnnggg time (some claim as far back as 3000 BC, and though I’ve no proof, I wouldn’t doubt it)
2) the belief is that every organ in the body is connected to a specific point in the foot and that a person can be made well and healthy via foot massage
3) foot massage feels unbelievably good (even when it hurts)
4) even if you don’t believe that it will cure your cold or skin allergies, a good foot massage will relax you
(Three days after #28’s diagnosis, my stomach unleashed its fury. I’m heading back for another massage today.)
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Kristin Bair O’Keeffe is a writer, writing instructor, and cultural spelunker. She has been living in Shanghai, China since April 2006. Make sure to check out more about Kristin and her adventures on her blog. To find out more about Kristin’s novel, Thirsty, click here.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
As a potential treatment for Tourette's Syndrome years ago, I went to a reflexologist who ground the hell out of my feet with her knuckles.
She would dig around my big toe and say things like, "Hmmm…there's a ton of fluid in your brain," or "Your back must be tight."
I don't know enough about any of it to dispute anything she said. I agree wholeheartedly that even though it hurt sometimes, I stumbled out of those appointments feeling pretty nice.
Much better than a store I just saw in a shopping mall where you put your feet in an aquarium and little fish chew your calluses off.
the place was empty, by the way:)
Great post!
Hey Josh – thanks for sharing your story too – but the store with the aquarium…omg, I need to see that. I've only had Thai massages, which is nowhere close to this, but I'll try the foot massage, I promise.
Thanks to you, as well, Kristin, for sharing your story – I'm so intrigued about your experiences in Shanghai and will keep following your stories. Hope to see you again soon on TJCC!
What do I taking away from this interesting read? Well, I think it should be forwarded to everyone in Congress. Wellness care really has to be part of the healthcare solution in my opinion. Imagine how much happier and healthier we'd be if we had a foot massage every week!
Ironically, I had a pedicure yesterday. I'm back to work at an elementary school and the first two weeks back on my feet are tough. The foot and leg massage is the best part.
It's exciting to hear from people living abroad who embrace the culture they're in. I haven't traveled very far, but I always try to eat local food from small businesses wherever I am. This account of Shanghai was wonderful.
Kristin, have you read Lisa See's SHANGHAI GIRLS?
This post makes me want to go get a foot rub immediately! I practice yoga and I am always amazed at how much it teaches me about my body. Eastern medicine is so effective it makes me wonder why it hasn't gained greater adoption here in the U.S. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Kristin!