Dinner and a Massage

Typically Dinner and a Movie, our Valentine's Day was a little different in China.  First of all, Valentine's Day is not a large holiday in China and is largely a result of the Western influence that lives here.  There are plenty of flowers available but not a great selection of cards or other types of gifts.  Mr. He summed up Valentine's Day in the car for us..."Sir, Valentine's Day, romantic, chocolates, flowers..."  Pronunciation was pretty good, he must of practiced awhile on that phrase.  Taking advantage of our new babysitter/AYI, Ms. Wang, we made reservations for Friday night out.  First, dinner at an upscale salad shop, called Element Fresh, not too fancy but close and we wanted to try it without the kids since we were unsure of the menu.  After what turned out to be a very good meal, we headed to Head to Toe, both hair salon and massage place.   Little did we know that Friday nights are the hot night at Head to Toe.  Foot massages are very popular here and a good way to end the work week.  Foot massages at this place are 1 hour long and cost 90 RMB with tip (that is about $13 USD).   It was worth every penny.  We were joined by two other couples, both of whom were GM families that I knew, and two women that were by themselves and husbands support the auto industry.  So quiet it was not, but fun and relaxing it was.  Not only did we get a great massage, but we discovered some new vacation ideas with one couple just returning from Cambodia and the other from Boracay Island, Philippines.  They also had good things to say about beaches in Guam and Saipan (just north of Guam).  So we added them all to our list of potential future vacations.    Some folks get this treatment every Friday night, which may be a little much but rest assured we will be stopping by again...and soon!