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What is up with the Swedish massages in this city? I have had two so far (I know, not a very large sample size) and both were terrible and didn't actually have much in common with a real Swedish massage.
I had one massage in the Old Quarter and the other at a place that people on this board are fond of so I won't mention it by name. Both massages involved a lot of pain, jabbing, yanking of limbs many times, forceful finishes to the massage strokes, and vigorous karate chopping (similar to the Thai massage chop but harder and with one hand at a time).
Last time I checked, Swedish massage involves none of the above. Has this been anyone else's experience or am I just unlucky?
swedish massage pain (add tags) Why? Details of tags
answered about 3 months ago by marko_cro
Welcome to the club! I am a big fan of a massage, particularly Swedish... and have been searching for the past 8 months - unsuccessfully! It is not you - it is Vietnam! They simply have a different tradition in massage. In the meantime, I gave up and converted to a traditional Vietnamese massage, which is not Thai, nor foot massage... It is called Tam Quat and is somewhat similar to what you described. It does not involve any oil... I doubt you would like it... However, during my research I came across a contact of a Western masseuse called Tiffany. She claimed to be doing a deep tissue Swedish massage, but I never tried.. as a male I can more easily relax and enjoy a proper massage from a (male) masseur. This was in April this year and I am not sure if Tiffany is still available in Hanoi. It is worth a try at <tallulahluna@gmail.com> Good luck!
answered about 3 months ago by granteralus
You might consider renaming this post to "Massage in Vietnam = No Fun". What a frustrating experience. They seem to have somehow missed the lecture in masseuse class emphasizing that clients should leave the establishment LESS stressed out than they were before they entered. The only decent massage I can recall getting in Vietnam was at some clinic near the Lang Ha & Duong Lang area (south central Hanoi), but I don't remember the name or exact address. I'll try to locate it next time I'm down there.
answered about 3 months ago by feemtwo
Well, since I posted this I've found a great place for Swedish-style (oil) massages. It's called Fancy Spa on Dinh Ngang on the western edge of the Hoan Kiem district. They do a very relaxing massage that doesn't involve any pain at all. I highly recommend them :)
Will I have to eat plain rice for a month after visiting them?
