Just had my third Thai massage. Ahhh. And ouch.

My first one was in Phuket, after those sweltering days on the boat, finding nirvana in an air conditioned room and “spa” right downstairs. I looked at the menu of options and chose “traditional Thai massage,” mostly for the experience but also because the “oil massage” was noted as being “distressing” and I didn't need that. (That wouldn't be the first time the English translation was butchered.)

I'm no stranger to massage. For the past six months, I've been a weekly visitor of Scott Sachs, The Pain Reliever, in Ft. Lauderdale. So when I walked in for my Thai massage, I was ready to strip down, close my eyes and relax.

Not so fast.

The tiny woman who spoke with smiles laid her soft hands on my feet and pushed.

“Strong?” she asked.

“Yes, strong,” I replied confidently.

I was not at all prepared for her iron thumbs and their ability to find every soft bit of flesh between my ankles and forehead. I flinched at first, then breathed deep and tried to suck it up. Only 89 minutes left, I though. Only 85 minutes left.

When she dug her heals of her hands into the valleys in the front of my hips and I felt her torso against mine, my eyes popped open. I tried to stop them; I couldn't help it. She must have seen surprise and fear in my face and she backed off a little without asking “strong?”

Only 84 minutes to go.

Eventually, it turned funny. Like much of our Thai holiday, nothing was turning out as mystical and perfect as we had planned. (To be fair, it couldn't. We had been building up this trip in our minds for months; nothing could be that perfect.) “Two weeks on our friends' 45-foot catamaran” sounds glorious, but it was hot and just a little crowded. “Two weeks in Phuket” sounds exotic, but it was hot, dirty and a lot crowded.

“A Thai massage” sounds relaxing, but it hurt, mostly because I fought back, I think. Which struck me as funny, considering everything else we'd been through, but I dared not laugh. I choked back a few giggles in coughs and soft grunts, though. And by the time it was over, I was ready for it to be over.

So when my sister, who flew in a few days ago to meet us for the last three weeks of our trip, suggested we get massages, I was hesitant. This time, I would get the “distressed” version, not the traditional style. But there were only body part options on the menu: back and shoulder, foot, foot and leg, etc.

We chose for back and shoulders.

Turns out, the second time around, Thai massage isn't so funny, and doesn't hurt quite so much if you relax before they set to work with those tiny, super powerful thumbs. When it was over, I wasn't quite ready for it to be over. I felt taller and breathed deep, a behavior I've been trying to do more of for about a year now.

Finally, here in Thailand, I breathed deep and slept in.