Massages in Ubud, Bali
“Can we get a massage tonight”, I asked the front desk clerk. He looked at his watch and said, “Yes, we can arrange that for you. Someone will come for you at 8pm.”
We had just arrived at JJ Villa and Spa Resort a low keyed Balinese resort owned and operated by the village where we would be spending a week. Our villa was wonderful and was built in traditional Balinese craftsmanship with a ceiling that went up for ever and disappeared in darkness.
Outside our door was our own private pool (shared actually, but no one else used it in the week we were there) with carved Balinese statues spouting water surrounding the pool. It overlooked a dense tropical gully with one lonely dirt path descending into the gully. I loved it and swam in the pool twice a day.
At 8pm there was a knock at our door. The rain was pouring down as we looked out and saw our two lady masseuses with their hair pulled back and dressed in light white cotton attire. They indicated for us to follow them.
Grabbing umbrellas from the rack by the door we followed the two ladies in the dark. Stepping from one embedded stone to another we tried not to step in the puddles forming from the heavy rain. We followed the ladies along a narrow grassy path between two dark buildings. In the darkness we could hear the bullfrogs croaking in the pouring rain.
Turning the corner we were at the massage centre. To the left was a desk and towels and across the open space were two large massage tables draped in fresh sheets. The entire area was open to the elements with a thatched roof. The ladies sized us up and chose their client. (We had the same ladies each night except for the final massage but that was alright as we had them in the morning for a massage and gave them presents.)
Our Massage
Disrobing we got under the sheets while the ladies set up. The air was moist and warm with the distinct smell of tropical flowers filling the air with their perfume. We could hear the sound of the pouring rain on the buildings and foliage along with the distinct sounds of bullfrogs and crickets.
The burning candles and the entire ambiance was totally magical. Our masseuses asked what pressure we wanted our massages. I went for the deep tissue massage while Loie went for the light relaxing massage.
As my masseuse started on me, I looked over at Loie enjoying her massage. I shut my eyes and just took the moment in with a deep breath and exhale and let myself be flooded with the endorphins the deep tissue massage was releasing. She gave my back a good massage then climbed up on the massage table and really worked me over with her elbows and body weight.
Tips on Massages
Massages in Bali are magical. Imagine having a tantalizing massage in the middle of a rice field with the expert touch of trained masseuse. For us it is heaven because we love massages. The massages were almost free – only $12. We had a massage everyday for the week we stayed at the spa resort.
After three days of deep tissue massages, I was not feeling all that great. I felt a little exhausted and low energy. I researched on the Internet and found out that you should have a days rest between deep tissue massages, not have one every day! The toxins released were causing my lethargic feeling. It was a case of too much of a good thing is bad for you.
That evening I told my masseuse that I had to switch to a light relaxing massage and by the next day I was feeling energetic again. I went for the light relaxing massage for the rest of the week.
The night before we were to check out, we went to the front desk to settle up our bill. The desk clerk looking at the number of massages we had and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, because of the number of massages you had this week we can offer you each a complimentary massage.”
We looked at each other and together said, “How wonderful. Sign us up for 9am tomorrow before we leave.” What a great way to finish up an awesome week in Ubud, Bali with a free massage. We each had eight massages during the week for the price of one massage at home. Make sure you put daily massages at the top of your list when visiting Ubud.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Ubud.
