I’m currently traveling in Japan and I finally got to try this place called Temomin. It’s a quick massage place in Japan. It’s a massage chain and I believe they have about 200 locations now even including Los Angeles which I just found out.
In Japanese Te means hand and momi means knead so it’s kneading by hand or massage by hand.
Coming from the United States, I’m used to giving and receiving massage for 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes or 25 minutes, 50 minutes, or 80 minutes depending on the massage place. And they are usually schedule on the hour or half hour.
But this Temomin place is great for walk-ins because their service starts at 10 minutes for 1,000 yen which is about $9 at today’s exchange rate of 111 yen to a dollar. And they use a timer to count the time so you can start any time. You can make a reservation if it’s more than 30-minutes but otherwise it’s only for walk-ins I think. I had about two hours to kill so I decide to try their 75-minute massage for 8,000 yen. What a great way to kill time!
It was interesting to see the table covered with a bunch of towels, and not sheets. The massage is done on a massage chair or on a table separated by curtains. You can keep your clothes on or rent a T-shirt for 100 yen about 90 cents and shorts for another 100 yen or 90 cents.
Whether you are wearing your clothes or their clothes, they put a towel over the clothes and massage over it. My massage therapist was pretty good. My massage therapist has been doing this for 10 years and she was pretty good. I fell asleep during the massage. She mostly used cross-fibering technique in which you rub the muscle perpendicular to the direction of the muscles.
She let me know beforehand that she was also taking care of the front so if someone walks up to the front she has to pause the massage and take care of the customers which she did about two times during the massage. But it didn’t bother me because she let me know beforehand and she was using the timer to count the massage. So she just paused the timer, and tend the customer, come back and restart the massage.
So my 75 minute massage was about 85 minute total with me changing into their T-shirt and shorts and for her to tend the customers couple times during the massage. I paid 8,000 yen for the massage, 200 yen for the T-shirt and shorts, and with 8% tax I paid 8,856 yen which showed on my American credit card as $79.22.
The nice part of getting a service like this or really any services at the restaurants or hotels or anywhere in Japan is that you do not have to tip because tipping is not part of our culture.
I really like Temomin’s concept of quick massage because it resonates with my concept of Couples Massage Class to teach couples how to give quick massage to your partner.
Massage Monday #336 – Temomin Japanese Massage Chain http://bit.ly/mm-040317