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| Lots of places to get foot reflexology along this row of charming old shophouses at Jalan Sultan. But my favourite no-frill massage place is at People's Park Centre. However, according to netizens, Feet Haven gives the best massage. May try that one day and let you know. |
This was at a nice "spa" at Jalan Sultan, a ground unit of a row of shophouses. (They actually have two branches along the road). They soaked your feet in a bucket of hot water first. Then followed a vigorous rub-dry with a thick towel. After a few "not so hard" from me and with the masseuse saying that he was hardly applying any pressure, the session progressed rather well.
So now, this foot reflexology thing is one of my greatest indulgence. My favourite masseuses are at this shop next to my optician or rather ophthalmologist (would never be able to spell this word without Google) at People's Park Centre -- its front has neon lights forming the shape of a foot. All their masseuses (in pink polo t-shirts) are great (save for one, my friend said, after a very unsatisfactory session where she said she didn't even feel a thing). Even my ophthalmologist would pop over to get a good massage occasionally.
There is one lady masseuse there who is particularly strong and would give you the most robust massage you would ever have in your life, unless you tell her "softer... softer... SOFTER!" But she is good -- and has become my friend's favourite.
7 comments:
This photo of the row of shophouses interestingly was where I used to live in way back in the sixties. It was the unit next to the two beige colored units counting from the left. Yes, now all types of businesses are set up here from spas to curio shops to budget hotels. In the past there were different types of livelihood. For example, the second last unit from the left was the Clog-maker, the unit next to mine was rented out to a family that makes metal pails for a living. Other trades were rice importers, animal feed, toufu and even satay :)
You mean the chocolate coloured unit? I think it might be the "spa" which my friend and I have tried that day:) The road must have been much narrower then? So interesting. What's the interior of the house like? Did your family occupy both floors or just the upper floor?
The one with the whitish roof, we were one of the lucky family that had the whole unit to ourselves. Indeed the road was narrower, the opposite side were lined with similar shop houses. Moreover, there were food stalls that opened late into the night. Directly opposite my unit was a kambing soup stall, followed by two competing Mee goreng, Mee kuah stalls. One of them was really good, my dad used to asked me to order frm that stall, the wait could be 30 mins. It had since relocated to Beach road hawker centre many decades ago. The assistant is now the boss, since now I am an old man, he is even older than me, but I recognized him. :)
The interior of the house, hmm, is longish, part of the back was covered roof with tiles, the other half was open aired with rain gutters. The staircase was rather narrow and steep made of wood. In fact the entire upper floor was of wood, partitioned into two rooms, one for my parents, the other for my sisters. The guys slept on "Fan Poh Chong" Cantonese for those canvas folding beds that if not maintained attracts bedbugs :( We had flushing toilets unlike many of that era that still uses the bucket system.
Most units were liked ours, but not all. My immediate neigbour, the two beige colored ones which are now sundry shops, the toufu maker unit was covered throughout. He was an enterprising man, one of the first to own a van whom he used to deliver his goods, doubling as driver to fetch us children to school for that extra cash.
Yes, I know fan poh chong -- we used to have one long time ago. I thought they were quite comfortable (then). The area seemed very bustling during your time! Such good food just outside the doorstep! Good to know that a food stall from so long ago is still surviving, although in a different location (but near enough, I guess).
To survive, most families had to know some kind of trade, be it food businesses or technical businesses. Certainly Jalan Sultan had plenty of good street food stalls, from Ice ball, Roti Prata to Teochew porridge, even the famous Abaling stall at Beach Road hawker centre was from this road before the relocation :)
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