Sensual India

After being motioned to disrobe, I stood butt-naked in a dimly lit room facing a small Indian man who insisted upon personally tying a loin cloth around my waist to cover my private parts. The thin paper-weight cloth barely concealed my frontside and wrapped through and rode up my backside like a Chippendale's G-string. After being snugly fit into my man thong, I was asked to recline on a small bed while another Indian man gently lathered my bare chest and stomach with hot oil, which smelled like the peanut sauce used to make Pad Thai, all the while tranquil Indian music played in the background. After a thorough oiling on my frontside, I was rotated and then oiled some more. I felt like a piece of bacon. And over the course of the hour, the paper cloth soaked through and fell apart. My Indian friend didn't seem to mind. No, this wasn't an act of homosexuality. It was a form of Aruyvedic treatment, a traditional Indian massage therapy, in which a variety of warm oils, scents, and spices are used in conjuction with various massage techniques to sooth and invigorate a tired and aching body. All over India, they sing of the wonders of Aruyvedic treatment. And after a long day in the sweat city of Jaipur, I was eager to treat myself. When I initially signed up, I had very different expectations: picturing a beautiful Indian woman in a flowing saree using her lotion softened hands to apply a gentle force to alleviate my sore back and shoulders. My expectations were clearly a bit off. Looking back, while I was uncomfortable at first and holding in laughter throughout, it was an interesting experience and one that I'll certainly never forget.