Massages are very popular in Japan. I have heard some people say that they found massage to feel so good that they thought it was better than sex, or any other sensual pleasure. Women are muc bigger fans of massages than men, and this the world over. East Asian people have a long tradition of massages, and it still has a much bigger importance there than in the West or anywhere else in the world. Could it be that Mongoloid people have genetical predispositions that makes them more receptive to the sensual pleasure of massages ? That's a possibility that should be investigated...

Personally I have always hated massages. I have tried different ones : hands, feet, shoulders, back, Japanese-style, Thai-style, reflexology... No matter which one it is, it hurts. I can't understand how people can enjoy it, even less pay for it. Usually I have to tell the masseur/masseuse to stop after a few minutes (or seconds) because it hurts too much. Maybe I am too tensed, but massage certainly don't help; the only idea of it stresses me more than it relaxes. When it doesn't hurt, I don't feel anything special. I have feel no benefit afterwards, just muscle ache. Am I normal, or are there other people here like me ? It is true that as a child I had a particular reluctance to being touched, by anybody. I was even uneasy about cheek-kissing relatives or friends... This has changed a lot since then though.