I retain stress in my neck, shoulders and back. It collects there until it becomes unbearable and the only way to purge the pain is to visit my shiatsu therapist. The trend seems to be about once every 3-4 months.

This time, I decided to try someone new. He came highly recommended from a co-worker as well as my mother-in-law. Hubby and his father received a massage and acupuncture from him and got good results. He comes with some great credentials and is an instructor at an accredited college of “Oriental Medicine.” Best of all, he makes house calls. Gotta love that.

So, today I booked him for 2 hours. 1-1/2 hours of Shiatsu and Thai bodywork and 30 minutes of cupping therapy. My friend claimed that the cupping helps relieve the tension in her muscles and combined with masage, would work wonders for me. Hey, why not? I can deal with a few welts. My back never sees the light of day anyway.

Oh, the massage was heavenly. It was shiatsu, but not painful. He applied a good amount of pressure, but it didn’t feel like I was having an aneurysm when he worked on my neck (one of my most problematic areas). When the massage was over, my muscles didn’t feel like they had been pummelled with a blunt object like they normally do after a shiatsu session.

The cupping, although looks painful in the photograph, really isn’t. It just feels like a suction cup stuck to your back with a moderate amount of pressure. I was quite shocked to see the extent of the markings, but my skin is naturally prone to scarring anyway so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. They basically look like enormous hickies on my back, but less sexy.

My body feels invigorated, energized. Loose! My body hasn’t been this free from tension since I was 7. There’s no going back now… I’ve found myself a new therapist!

Next time, I want to try the acupuncture.