Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

As a young man, a massage for me was associated with Thailand. However, when I visited Bangkok, the awesomeness of the Buddhist temples overtook my craze for massages.

My real love for massages dates back to 2005 when I first came to China on a business trip.

The first night in Shanghai was a bit of a disappointment, as I ended up in a beauty shop that also did body massage.

I chose a very young girl for my massage. I was looking for a strong deep tissue Chinese massage for my tired body.

My boss was an elderly man who initially refused to go with me, citing religious reasons. I convinced him that it would be for medicinal reasons. He decided on an elderly lady.

When we exchanged post-massage notes, he really enjoyed his massage, while mine was disappointing. My young masseuse herself needed a massage or maybe some food for more energy because she had no strength in her hands.

I decided then that I would never again let beauty play a role in how I select a masseuse.

I later discovered there was another huge massage hall in the same hotel that was popular for traditional Chinese massages.

This time, I chose a middle-aged masseuse. She turned out to be really amazing. Afterward, I would look for her whenever I returned.

As destiny brought me back to China a few years later for work, this time to Beijing, I started looking for new massage places.

Another foreigner helped me find something near our apartments. He came out with a card saying that they can visit our rooms. Being a bit elderly and of more vintage in China, he dissuaded me from trying it out.

A Chinese colleague escorted me the next time. There were different cabins for each person. He told the receptionist that I only wanted a massage, no other service. But the masseuse did otherwise. She tried speaking to me in Chinese and then brought out a calculator, asking for money - for extra service probably.

My colleague kept shouting to ask me if everything was ok. I came out safely.

Then I came across an interesting online advertisement that read, "Our massage for your English." It offered a one-hour free massage after an hour of teaching English to its masseurs. I did it a few times.

As I changed jobs and apartments, I found the cheapest massages possible. It was just 35 yuan for one hour at a blind massage center.

It was there that I met a short, balding but strong masseur who would make me cry out in pain but with fantastic results. Since then, I only ask for a man because I prefer a strong massage.

In fact, once a young masseur got angry at me because he preferred massaging women.

The pity is that my favorite masseur is missing since last year, and I am still trying to locate him.

After the Great Wall and hot pot, the third thing I always recommend to first-time visitors to China is a good traditional Chinese massage.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.