Soon guilin massage after arriving on the scene
the exuberant, sharply dressed entrepreneur with fashionably spiky hair stepped on the toes of his business rivals when he cut the price of a massage to $15 an hour — about a quarter of the going rate in Chinatowns all over the country. He needed that low price, he says, to attract curious non-Asians. After the ensuing price war he launched caused business to explode, local officials began to fear that the proliferating massage parlors were really fronts for prostitution. The nearby city of Arcadia responded by banning any new ones, and state authorities began looking for labor and health-code violations.
But Monroe and friends have beaten the rush, and a few minutes later they are plunking their feet into wooden tubs of herb-laden water that is just hot enough to be mildly uncomfortable. As it cools, though, the sounds of blissful ohhhing and ahhhing can be heard as men and women dressed in martial-arts-looking outfits begin poking and prodding feet, pushing and pulling on toes.
"I wish I could get one of these every night," a now-laid-back Monroe whispers softly as she relaxes in a soft, oversized leather chair. In the background is the steady "slap-slap-slap" of hands on feet. Meanwhile, just down the street, Yi Hang is standing near the door of her BCT Foot and Body Massage business, inviting passers-by to kick back. "It's very healthy," she says of the practice that experts on Asian medicine say dates to at least the 12th century. "So many people spend so many hours on the computer these days that they have a lot of neck and shoulder pain and headaches, and the massage really helps."
According to Chinese legend, the nerves in the feet are connected to every part of the body and, as a result, massages can cure headaches and kidney ailments, prevent ulcers, even let you live longer. Western medical experts discount that, although several do acknowledge that a good massage can leave a person feeling like they are walking on air. "What happens is when the muscles are tight, when you press gently and gingerly you release the pressure and you feel much better," says Dr. Shri Mishra, a neurologist and expert in Asian medicine.
"But no," Mishra adds, "there is no evidence guilin massage it can cure disease." Still, Lau maintains, isn't feeling good half the battle? That's why the former international trader says he got into the foot-massage business. He wanted to make money doing something that was good for people. Not that he didn't hit a few stumbling blocks along the way.
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