So let's just quickly re-cap on my week and a few thoughts I've had. I had the most obvious epiphany of life a few days ago. My aunt, my lovely mother, my older sister and I decided to go and have a "girly" afternoon having massages - not really my thing but I'll never refuse a chance to bond while doing something I don't have to pay for. Wow, that came out wrong. Anyway, off we went to the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa, probably one of the best hotels I have ever been in, ever.
The service is impeccable. Sometimes I get lost in hotel lobbies, not quite sure where to go or what I'm doing there (haha) and staff either walk right past me without so much as a second glance at me even though I blatantly have a "I don't know where to go" expression on my face, or they start hoarding me with 101 questions as soon as I walk through the door, causing me to stutter uncontrollably due to shock and intimidation, resulting in a very distressed lady who just wants to go home. At the Armani Hotel however, I was pleasantly surprised by the immediate and non-imposing help we received as soon as we walked through the doors. They make everyone feel like VIP clients and this made me happy. Nothing changed when we entered the spa - the staff seemed to be genuinely eager and happy to assist us which in turn made me feel comfortable. For a person who doesn't particularly enjoy massages as I don't quite know how I feel about a person I don't know rubbing oil all over my body, I was actually looking forward to mine. Another reason I don't like massages is because (and I'm not trying to sound like some sort of self-riteous saint here) I always wonder if the person actually wants to be doing their job. And that's what I think when I go anywhere where I require a service that results in me having a good time while the other person works. I get uncomfortable in restaurants all the time for this very reason. What makes me so special that I get to sit here and enjoy myself, while another human being who is equal to myself has to run around getting me food and beverages? . Yes, I understand that they are not doing it for free and it is a job, but it still makes me feel like a major douche, especially when the person makes it clear that they would much rather be doing something else. However, the minute the person seems to actually enjoying their job and flashes me a seemingly genuine smile, I become less tense. Why? Because it makes me feel better. It makes me feel less guilty. It makes me say to myself "It's ok that this lady who is 20 years older than you is bending at your feet to make your toes look pretty because she looks like she really enjoys doing this. Don't worry Tash, she's having a great time". And that's exactly the same feeling I got when I went to the spa. They were all so nice, they made me feel good about being self-indulgent. Do we ever take the time to think past the smile though? Do we ever think about what problems they have or what kind of day they've had so far? Or even what kind of life they've been through and what led them to where they are now? If they're in a bad mood, if they have children at home, if they're getting paid enough, if they have any aches and pains? We've all been there before, we've all had to power through some sort of job or task while we feel terrible inside, and that's my point. We are they. We're all the same. So the next time you get a bit arse-y because you asked for Diet Pepsi and you get normal by accident, remember that you could very well be in that very situation one day and you would appreciate a little bit of slack. We expect perfection all the time when we forget that we are far from it. Why do we look at people who are doing us a service as if they are another species? I will never understand. Okay, I've rambled on so much I hardly understand what I was talking about or what my point was in the first point. I hope you've managed to follow some of what I was trying to say.Anyway, I loved my spa experience and I'm definitely planning on returning next month, which probably makes me a massive hypocrite or something. I don't even know anymore. What I do know now which I never noticed before is how intimate a hand massage really is; even more intimate than any other massage in my opinion. Imagine for a moment letting a stranger hold your hand, and not just hold your hand but stroke your hand, rub your hand, enclose her hand around yours. And you, trying to relax your hand as much as possible, then realise that this is only resulting in your hand involuntarily enclosing around hers. And then your fingers intertwine as she gently but firmly squeezes your fingers against hers...
It was surreal.
