Hi Gigi. Thank you for talking to me.

Hi Rebecca. I want to thank you for designing the website for me!

 

Totally my pleasure. Are the beautiful photos used in this website really yours?

Yup. They are all my photos. They were taken by a very talented young photographer called Hilary Chan.

 

So, basically the whole website was created by all female team! Are you a feminist? 

No! I really am just a little woman who knows nothing other than massage. I love Hilary’s work because she observes her subjects as real persons, not as someone who need to dress up or look in a particular way in order to impress other people. I also like your design, and the interest and respect you showed in my profession.

 

Tell me about you. You are exceptionally cultural. Why is your English so good?

I am not cultural at all! I was born in Chong Qing in Sichuan and have lived in Hong Kong for more than 15 years. I am based in Perth Australia now. I still can’t shake off my Sichuanese accent, and my English is very poor. Written English is okay, but conversational English is too difficult for me. I am learning English now. 

 

(By the way, this interview is translated from Mandarin Chinese.)

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Your English is really good. Many of your clients are Westerners…. Is the language barrier a problem for you?

Once the client is on my massage table, no problem at all. Verbal communication is almost unnecessary, sometimes even detrimental, during a massage session. Of course I need to ask them about their body conditions etc, but any conversation more than that would be distracting. In tantric massage, I do not talk to the clients at all. I need them to turn their attentions inwards, to their own mind and bodies.

The problems of communication occur before and after the massage. I need help with my English when a client asks me about my massage, makes special requests or gives me feedbacks. With Google translate, I can understand most of their questions, but to answer them in English I really need to sit down in peace and compose the replies sentence by sentence with Google translate. Luckily, most clients tend to ask me similar questions. Over the years, I wrote standard answers to those common questions. Some English-speaking friends kindly offered to proof read them for me….

 

That’s includes me!

(Yes, and I thank you for your help!)…. So I can quickly cut and paste the right answers to their questions. In a way, I am like a human Siri.

 

You gave me a massage the other day. I have to say it’s the best massage I had in my life. Do you have both male and female clients?

Thank you! You are only one of few female clients. I wish there are more. A vast majority of my clients have been male, and most of them are highly successful in their jobs. I think these men are like a brilliant but overworked machine. They are always in leadership roles so they forget to listen to the feedbacks from their bodies. Most of them eat well and exercise well, but it’s their inner wellbeing they neglect. They don’t know how to relax and even forget how to breathe properly.

 

Are you comfortable with your clients’ nudity? And are they comfortable with being naked in front of you.

Yes, I am very comfortable with that. Most of my clients have no problem at all. My massage, especially my tantric massage, is a form of “Full Body Sensual Massage”, so nudity is kind of assumed.

 

Tell me about the "Gigi’s rules".

Two rules. I don’t take off my clothes and the clients are not allowed to touch me. Many tantric massage therapists are willing to be naked during the session. I totally respect their decision. There are really two reasons for not being nude myself. The first is a personal one. I am a professional masseuse and I simply do not want to make a living by stripping or being fondled. Some masseuses charge a fee to disrobe. They charge a certain price for taking off their tops, and a bit more to take off the panties, and little more to…. I personally find this deeply offensive.

The second reason is more to do with the nature of tantric massage itself. In authentic tantric massage, the client is the receiver, and his role is totally passive. His “role” is to receive my touches. I am the provider and I do all the touching. Yasujirō Ozu has made an old movie called “Floating Weeds”. I love that title. A receiver of tantric massages should be like a floating weed. He is a passive recipient of my touches, like the floating weed subjected to the flow of water currents around it. This allows him to be at one with his own self. He will gradually forget that I, as a person, am there. I become a gentle force of nature. Whether I am naked and, to some extent, how I look, is not important. However, if I am naked, he naturally wants to look at my body or even want to touch me. I do not judge them, as this is just a human instinct. But this will break the Zen-like concentration I strive to achieve in my massage.

 

That was a great description! But what if some clients insist on your nudity? What if they gave your $10,000 to take off your top?

Haha, that happened before! A lot of times! Not one grand though; usually a few thousands. But with that amount of money they don’t really need to see an old little woman like me! I referred them to other masseuses. No hard feelings.

 

By the way, you wrote in this website that you don’t take tips. Why?

I don’t work only for money. Of course, I need to eat and to pay my rent, but I work for my professional satisfaction too. I am grateful to each client for giving me a chance to improve, and in return I strive to do my very, very best in each massage. I do not do that to “earn” my clients’ tips. I like simplicity. The prices I list in this website are what I take.

 

Has any client asked you out on a date before?

Yes, a few did. I have never dated my clients and will never do. I keep my work and my personal life very separate.

 

Is this the reason you don’t show your face in the photos?

Yes.