I am an unabashed hedonist.

In the pursuit of pleasure, the body is my first barometer. The sense of touch relieves and de-stresses by conveying physical intimacy and spiritual healing.

Whenever the migraine cometh, nothing beats a deep-tissue, full-body massage, preferably the Balinese massage, which uses a variety of techniques including skin rolling, kneading and stroking, acupressure and reflexology. (The good old knead and glide Swedish massage works for me too.) I am partial to unscented massage oil extracted from apricot kernel or jojoba, which aren’t too greasy and are easily absorbed into the skin.

There are other things that I would like to try too, like acupuncture. The insertion of hair-thin needles into the skin in strategic parts of the body in order to block pain has been practiced in China many centuries B.C.. According to Chinese medicine, the balance between the yin and the yang can be found by altering the energy flow in the body through the acupuncture points. I’ve been wanting to try acupuncture for 15 years, but nobody has given me the name of a reputable practitioner yet.

Recently, I saw a TV feature of a salon offering fish pedicures, called “Dr. Fish”. Instead of soaking their feet in a foot spa, customers put their feet in a tub with tiny fish that nibble on their dead skin cells. Are there are no studies concerning possible FTDs (Fish-Transmitted Diseases) yet? And where do the fish waste go? I hope they don’t unload while they chew on my feet!

In view of my battle with the middle bulge, I also want to try mesotherapy or mesolipo. It’s supposed to be a non-surgical (although less-effective) alternative to liposuction. Since the procedure only involves injections instead of incisions, there would be no anesthesia or scarring to deal with. If a friend can confidently admit to me that she got positive results from mesolipo, I’d have this procedure in a heartbeat.

But even the most mundane acts of unwinding in a warm bubble bath, taking sweet time in applying perfumed lotion, putting on nice and comfortable clothing, and lying on soft, clean sheets at the end of the day, can change the downturn curve of my harried countenance to a smile.