"as she bears her full weight down on my back until it feels like my ribs might crack. Chinese massages are hardcore - in local places, bars are often strung above tables to allow therapists to literally walk all over you. Let out a groan, and they will likely apply more pressure. The best therapists, like Sybil, can whip you into a weirdly relaxing, almost trance-like state while pummelling every knot into submission."
"Cupping, acupuncture, reflexology, scraping, moxibustion and bone-setting are all a part of everyday life in Hong Kong, where I have lived most of my life alongside some of the oldest people on the planet. Mysteriously, this city of seven million citizens doesn't appear among the five Blue Zone regions where people live exceedingly long lives - Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California - despite overtaking Japan since the early 2000s to top the global life expectancy charts"
Chinese therapies such as cupping, acupuncture, reflexology, scraping, moxibustion and bone-setting are common in Hong Kong. Massages can be intense, with therapists applying deep pressure and sometimes walking on clients. Cupping has ancient Taoist origins and recent celebrity visibility. Hong Kong topped global life expectancy charts in the early 2000s and benefited from economic prosperity, an almost-free public healthcare system and low smoking rates. The city nevertheless endures high stress, pollution, vast wealth inequality, an overheated property market and extreme population density. Hong Kong does not fit the dietary profile of established Blue Zones. A poor Covid response in 2022 interrupted longevity gains.
Read at CN Traveller
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