I don't even believe what just happened. I am struggling to even think about it, as I sit in my car outside the office. I don't even remember driving here, and it's a Saturday, I don't even work today. I have to organize my thoughts as I come to terms with this, and think about how I can talk to my husband about this, if I even do.
I can trace this back two weeks. I was working in the yard, and I lifted a pot that was too heavy, and as I lifted, I jerked and twisted. Everyone knows you don't do this, but of course we all do, and when you're a five foot five and 130 pound woman of 40 years, the inevitable happens. I collapsed on the lawn, my back completely torn up. The pot dumped on the grass, and I kind of laid there for a few minutes. When I felt like I could move, I tried getting up. I had to get on my knees, and roll to get into a posture I could lift my body up without using those big lower back muscles.
By Sunday, I was really bad. It wasn't the lower back muscles, but my right lat, it was really torn up. I could feel the blood pulsing through my muscle, and most every move hurt. I took naproxen, but it only took away the sharpest of the pains, and of course I knew taking naproxen too often caused other issues. Anyway, as a radiologist, I was up and down and helping move patients around, so I called out.
That call out became the whole week. I didn't really get better. The whole next week end, same, it was relaxed a little, but even breathing hurt that muscle. My other muscles were getting tired and sore, compensating for the disabled one. By mid way through this past week, I was getting concerned. Despite being in the medical field, I rarely sought medical help, except of course in a serious injury or illness. This was becoming that. I called the office, and our receptionist mentioned massage.
For me, massage was one of two things. It was a thing dirty or lonely men would go get, in order to get jerked off at the end by a Korean girl. Or, it was a thing that rich ladies would take their spoiled girlfriends or daughters to on the week end. But our receptionist, Kelly, explained about her back injury a few years earlier, and how massage turned what seemed like a permanent problem into one she could manage, and eventually get through. She was right, it was five years ago and I remember she was out and how bad she was when she came back, but I had almost forgotten it, since today she was in near perfect shape.
I asked her where she went, but she said the name of a place in her town, which was pretty far driving for me, and it was closed since anyway. I used the google to locate a local resource. On browsing, I did find both kind of massage I had in my mind: ones with pictures of busty young Korean girls, and all reviewed by men, and ones with a hundred pampering functions like waxing and nails and things I didn't even know what they were. But a few, these were more medical in nature, not quite like a chiropractor, but not like a massage spa either. I read the reviews, and most seemed similar, in price too, and were all within ten minutes' drive from my home.
When I was flipping a coin over the three I found, I noticed an ad for what was called "cuddle therapy". I chuckled, that this was even a thing, and clicked it to see what it was all about. It showed a picture of a guy, not really a tough guy, but one of these you see around, with a beard but only on his neck, no muscle tone, I think I remember our gay nurse calling this kind of guy a "twink". Either way, as I read, I was intrigued. I still needed this muscle taken care of, and he did offer massage, but the cuddle thing was real. He explained it that we would sit or lay together on his chair, sofa, the floor, or a bed, and basically it was as you would imagine, he cuddles you or you cuddle him, and you talk, and he listens. All the reviews were 4 or 5 star, and all were women, and all referenced that he was an excellent listener. I was getting depressed from being out of my routine for almost two weeks, and this pain was really taking a toll on my mind as well as my body.
I took a chance and called the listed number. Frank answered on the second ring. He explained again what cuddling was all about, but really evaded most of my questions. The whole thing seemed like something I wanted to try, to relax, but I asked about if we are clothed or nude, and he said everything is my option. I took this to mean of course that more than zero times women chose to be nude or for him to be nude or both, and I was a little put off. I was imagining that now I was the dirty lonely man going to get masturbated. But he was nice sounding, and again his reviews were good, so I booked him for this morning at 9.
All that backstory, and here I am, still not sure if I can even retell this story, sitting in my car, alone, much less recount it to my husband. I pulled into his complex at twenty of 9. All week I had been dressing in yogapants and loose fitting shirts, because of the pain and the fact that I wasn't going anyplace. Today I dressed the same. I had driven past this complex many times, but never knew how big the place was, or how many little units there were. It was like half of our town lived in here. I sat in my car until five of, then carefully climbed out of my car and walked up to his door. He opened the door just before I could ring the bell. He had been watching me?
Frank welcomed me in, took my hand, interlaced his fingers in mine. He had a soft quiet voice, and there was soft quiet instrumental music playing in the background. I smelled the incense, I think it was sandalwood? He led me to a large loveseat, and we sat down. He never released my hand. We talked again about my injury, and he asked me where I would like to cuddle. We were already on the seat, there was a couch, the floor, and then he pointed into another room where there was a bed. I didn't feel right of course going into a man's bedroom, so that was off the table. I was kind of not ready to move from this seat, but I knew the best relaxation would be right on the floor. Frank told me to stay put, and he disappeared down the little hallway. He returned with a big comforter.
He laid this comforter out on the carpet, it was big enough for five to lay on it, and it was thick. I don't know where you buy this kind of thing or what bed it's for, but I could tell this was going to be relaxing. He again took my hand, and interlaced his fingers in mine, and helped me down to the comforter. As I laid down, he laid behind me, not touching. He reminded me again that I could choose if I wanted to take any of my clothing off, he would not judge me or even remark about my body.
To me, this was disarming. I am very average, I have average hips, boobs, legs, belly. My skin is average, neither flabby nor bony, I am not tanned but I'm not glaringly white. I don't have any scars or tattoos. But being average, I always have self-confidence issues when being even in a swimsuit in public. I see the other women who have big boobs, or a big butt, or who are flabby or tattooed, all with something unique, but me, I was the definition of average. You would never pick me out of a lineup.
I chose to stay clothed, and he assured me, letting me know I can do anything I like. As we lay there, my back to his front, not touching, we just chatted. He asked me about my injury, and asked if he could touch my muscle and try to work it a little. Of course I wanted this. He put his hand gently on my lat muscle, and just left his open palm on it as we talked. He asked me about my work, and my family, and did I miss being at work, did I sleep well. And after each question, he would apply a small pressure with his palm on my muscle, and he would remain silent as I answered. He really was a good listener. He never offered solutions, never tried to solve my problems, never lectured me, he just listened and asked probing questions to get the words from my brain to my mouth. It really was very relaxing.
As the conversation went on, he asked me how long I intended to stay. It was an interesting question, as his website said he charged by the hour, and I had booked an hour. I asked him what he meant, and he explained that usually we would start with an hour, and depending on how it went and how we felt, he would let it go on as long as it took to relax me. I liked this, and he explained that the session charge would be the same whether it was the original hour or more. He had no bookings for the rest of the day, so, as he said, he literally had all day for me. I liked this. I didn't feel like there was any pressure to get any progress in any amount of time, basically he had the singular goal of relaxing me, and he told me that my goal was to allow the release from my mind and from the muscle.
As he applied pressure off and on, in rhythm with the conversation, I could feel his breath on my neck. I guess he was close to me, I carefully moved my foot backward to gauge where his was. He was at least two inches from me, and I was still comfortable with this. I know how cuddling works, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted his body touching mine. The hand was ok for now. Then, Frank moved his hand, still making total contact palm to body, around my ribs to the front, below my boobs but above my waistband. He asked if this was ok, and it was, so I told him.