{Little Saigon-California}

Little Saigon is a  well established Vietnamese community in Orange County.  There you will find authentic Vietnamese food, shopping, entertainment, and crazy drivers.  One of the highlights of our trip was getting a massage in Little Saigon. 

Imagine walking through a massage parlor door and finding yourself in a small, cramped waiting area that is blocked off from floor to ceiling with tall, black curtain panels.  It is completely dark with the exception of a couple of christmas light strands, and any light that creeps in from the outside world as the door is opened and closed.  Knick knacks, Vietnamese posters, and figurines adorn the waiting area making it feel gaudy and somewhat claustrophobic.  Upon entering, someone greets you and tells you to follow them.  They then draw back the curtain and you enter into a large dark room filled with several massage beds.  The only light, which is super dim, is a couple of small lamps. 

It's almost like a scene out of a movie where the guy goes to see the "mob boss".  You know, he shows up at a joint and says, "I'm here to see "Mr. Franco."   And then Mr. Franco's guy nods and says, follow me.  He then draws back the curtain and takes him into another room, dark no less, where Mr. Franco is sitting waiting. 

Seriously, this is what it feels like except the only things missing are cigarettes and a blanket of thick smoke filling the air. It feels like you are walking into the unknown, and when you get there you find yourself saying, "what have I gotten myself into".

Once you get to your massage table, you are at the mercy of your masseuse for an entire hour.  This was my fourth time getting a massage in Little Saigon, and this time I convinced Kurt to come along.  We both requested women to work on us.  I thought that by getting a woman it would be a relaxing massage, as previously I have had men work on me and it is by no means relaxing.  Boy was I wrong.  The nick name I gave the place is still quite fitting-HOUSE OF PAIN.

In Kurt's own words, "Those Asian women, they have hands that could bend rebar."  You definitely get a deep tissue massage and then some.  It is like no other experience you will ever have.  I guarantee that you will never walk into a massage parlor and have the hair on your head pulled so hard that you think you are being scalped, or your bare butt exposed to a half moon doing the butt fatt jiggalo, or muscles massaged so deeply that the grimace on your face says your about to die from sheer pain.  Sounds torturous, no?

Well, it's not all torturous.  It is a little relaxing.  A little.  It is the best $15 dollar massage that you will ever get.  It's what I do when I visit Orange County.  Worth every penny!