Thing Indonesians Like: Massage

Indonesians love massage [not all Indonesians though], that it might need to be included in our basic needs along with the food, shelter and clothing. The country itself is a heaven for massage proven by the massage parlors that spreading around the cities and house call massage that available 24/7 at an affordable price. The parlors offer different range of massages, from traditional to weird (like snake body massage). They also offer the happy-ending massage (we call them massage plus plus), but in my opinion, all massage should be called happy ending, if it not making the patron happy, then the do not bother to pay.

For Indonesians, massage must be introduced at tender age. A visit to Dukun Pijat Bayi (massage therapist for baby), for the first massage, could take place when the baby is only few days old. There is a belief that the younger babies introduced to massage, the bigger the chance to love it.

Massage is not only for relaxation, but also belief to be the remedy for any illness. Stroke, broken bone and cancer are only few illnesses than can be cure by massage therapist.  People who are ill believe that massage works better than the doctor. Not to mention that the fee of the therapist is less expensive than the medical doctor.

Massage also helps women to conceive. The massage therapist who is specialized on pregnancy focuses to move the position of the womb to be closer with the vagina and allow the sperm to run a shorter track. I know this might not be so logical for doctor. In my opinion, massage is not the only thing that woman needs; she also needs to practice, practice and practice and at the same time the man has to ensure the quality of his sperm.

Women are not the only one benefited from massage because it is beneficial for men and their ‘best buddy’. Mak Erot (Mrs. Erot) was once praised for her help to enlarge man most vital part, not the brain, but their manhood. What I learned from Google, she massaged the penis and like magic, it grew bigger. Mak Erot passed away few years ago. Her departure, I am sure, regretted by a lot of men who did not have the chance to enjoy her magical hands.

Most of Dukun Pijat Bayi, if not all, are not certified therapists. They got their massage skills from the other therapist or from their parents. There are also Dukun Pijat Tiban, which got the ability to massage from the ‘sky’; the ability falls from the sky. Hence the name tiban (Javanese. Something that falls from somewhere; out of the blue). We should all be grateful that Indonesia only have Dukun Tiban and do not have Doctor Tiban, nor President Tiban.

People also attend courses to be a massage therapist; some of them are people with visual impairments. Despite the fact that people with visual impairment can do almost everything, Indonesian educational system underestimated and prevented them to study other subjects. Thankfully, things are changing now.

The weirdest massage in my life happened years ago when I had a back pain. I was recommended to have a massage session with an old lady who, according to what people say, has special power. I followed their suggestion and ended with a regret. The lady spitted on my back without my consent. The spittle, for sure, did not relieve me for any back pain but I do believe she has power. She made me pay, 5 dollars, for the awful service, that’s how powerful she is.

Massage is our basic need. If one could not afford it then one can seek help from other. So do not be surprised if you see a person massaging someone else’s shoulder at the parking lot. They are just fulfilling their basic need!

liberty

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57 thoughts on “Thing Indonesians Like: Massage

  1. Jadi keinget, kalo pulang ke rumah ortu, rekuesnya cuma satu. Minta dipanggilin iu2 tukang pijat langganan *walopun sudah tahu, antriannya bakalan panjang*

  2. *lagi ngebayangin snake body massage* x)))))
    tapi kenapa pijet di Jakarta ini mahal bangeeeet, berharap asuransi kesehatan kantor juga ngecover biaya pijet hehehe

  3. Aku termasuk orang Indonesia anti-mainstream yang anti-pijat… soalnya geli-an, dan ga tau kenapa kalo dipijat tuh badan malah sakit semua. Satu2nya bagian badan yg aku suka minta pijat cuma bagian leher sama pundak aja, sisanya big no no! Hahahaha… Ada enaknya juga sih nggak suka pijat, kalo tinggal di luar negeri gak usah galau cari tukang pijat, kalo pegel cukup pake koyo saja xD

  4. Aku massage-freak, Mbak Tjetje. Dan salah satu beratnya hidup di Malaysia adalah ….. massagenya mahal2. Huhuhu. Jadi tiap minggu aku jalan aja ke mall atau tempat publik di mana banyak terdapat kursi pijat gitu. Trus tiduran nikmatin dipijat sama kursi. Hiks. Ini pulang seminggu, agenda utamanya adalah … MASSAGE! Hahaha.

  5. Snake body massage itu yang seperti apa ya Mbak… (ikut membayangkan seperti Mbak Dita).
    Dan saya juga baru tahu ada kanker yang dapat disembuhkan dengan pijat? Wow.
    Saya dipijat cuma kalau saya sakit dan itu pun sama orang tua :haha (maklum masih anak-anak :hehe).

  6. My dad’s masseur tends to burped at the initial time of the massage. He claimed that the toxins or diseases are still there. The burping then lessen as the massage reach its end. Weird, I don’t take it seriously, but it’s kinda fun 🙂

  7. Aku ga suka sama sekali dengan pijat Ail, Geli banget. Kalau sedang difacial, aku selalu melewatkan sesi pijat pundak, bahkan kalo sedang perawatan rambut juga ga mau kalau ada unsur pijat-pijat dibadan. Apalagi sejak punya Skoliosis 10 tahun terakhir, membayangkan pasti sakit kalau bagian belakang dipijat.

  8. Yuck Altje! What’s up with the whole spitting action? I do miss my cheap, good massages, which is in the top of my to do list when I go back.
    By the way, a friend of mine paid about IDR 2 mio for a series of post-pregnancy massages which successfully helped her lose weight. After the program, she was surprised to go back to her high school weight! Amazing!!

  9. aku nggak nyandu pijat tapi mau dipijat kalau punggung dan pinggang udah sakit banget.., paling dalam setahun pijat cuma dua kali

  10. Aku ngakak bagian “the happy ending massage” aka pijet plus2!!! Buahahaha

    Btw aku suka dipijet. Punya langganan teteh tukang pijet. Rumahnya jauh. Jadi kalo mau pijet skalian sekeluarga aja. Tarifnya 75rb. Skrang dia ga mau dateng lagi. Ga tau kenapa..selalu banyak alesan. Apa jangan2 tarifnya naik tapi dia ga mau bilang ya? Entahlah. :))))

  11. Di solo bahkan masih ada tarif 30rb lho mbak untuk pijat yang hampir 2 jam, bahkan si ibu tukang pijatnya datang ke rumah, cuma gak tega juga kalo kasih 30rb tapi itu sih katanya tarifnya emang segitu, kalo kasih banyak ntar bisa dituduh ngerusak pasaran, entah kenapa aku gak cocok kalo ama ibu-ibu yang datang ke rumah, badan sakit semua

  12. I love massage! Dulu malahan sempet pijat sebulan 2x – harga di Denmark mahaaal langsung bokek jadinya. Sekarang sih kalau lagi pegel2 untungnya sekarang udah ada Bartosz yang mau pijitin gratis 😜
    Untung summer ini bakal ke indo, lumayan lebih enak dan murah😊

  13. Ikut komen ya, mbak. Saya juga gak suka dipijit. Gak tahan geli. Kayanya tubuh bagian belakang saya terlalu sensi. Jangankan dipijit, kalo creambath saya sering nolak tawaran pijet punggung. Paling banter cuman sampe pundak. Cuma ya itu, kadang saya sampe mencencengkram kursi nahan rasa geli. Rugi amat, yak ? Saya malah pernah sampe nangis sesenggukan digelitikin punggungnya sama suami. Beneran nangis, sampe suami minta maap. Kalo terpaksa musti kerokan, waduhh…tangan kaki kejang2 hahahaha….

  14. Beruntung tinggal di amsterdam banyak masseuse dr indo yg mijetnya mak greng. Ada cerita ttg pijet, suami pas ke indo buat pertama kali nya. Dia masuk angin, tp namanya bule. Ga ngerti masuk angin itu apa. Sama si mbah ( kita lg di solo) dipanggilin mbah urut. akhirnya dia dengan paksa di urut sampe kejet kejet. Tp anehnya ga protes, hahaha. Besokannya sembuh blasss..dan dia sampe skrg klo ke indo maniak bgt ke mbah urut lol.

    • Tje di Amsterdam tuh setiap 500 meter pasti ada praktek pijet. Permintaan pijet menggila sekitar bbrp tahun belakangan walaupun per sessi dibandrol 50 euro per jam pun masih banyak yg pergi ke tukang pijet.

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