GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Beijing, A Relaxing Airport
One of our more distant (in mileage terms) reporters Brian Thomson, in Chengdu, central China, has sent in this report on how to relieve aching feet when in Beijing International Airport. If you need news from Chengu, Brian's your man. It is the capital of "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo), habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus. In Sichuan Province it is further west than Xian and is also the main inland access city to Tibet.
"If you have, like I did, spent two or three days hacking around an aviation exhibition hall at 28 Centigrade, and then at the airport you find that your plane is delayed, and you have to kill another two hours, finding a massage parlour in the terminal is just near to heaven.
But to make it perfectly clear &endash; it is a strictly proper, and you can also opt for a foot washing and massage service with all the mod cons. Located on the second floor and near to the restaurants is Beijing International Entertainment Center Ltd.
Staffed, probably by past entrants to the Miss Airport competition, and clad head to foot in figure hugging long silky dresses, the girls are there to massage those tired, weary and sweaty feet.
I settled for the half hour foot service at 66Y (£5) and you are led to a comfortable lie back chair, which your body weight activates into motion, and lo and behold &endash; electrically warmed rollers are moving up and down your back. The young lady picked up my socks with a pair of tweezers, as though they might carry some form of plague, and then washed my ankles and feet. Every toe is cleaned, not just once, but several times &endash; believe me it is bliss. And surprise, surprise, whilst you were receiving the foot treatment, they sneak away your shoes &endash; and return them fully cleaned and polished!
Feeling very much better, and when walking out glanced in the mirror, to see that I needed a haircut, and situated next door is the De Luxe hairdressers. Here for another £5 you can have a 'Wash cut and dry' service. And when those beautiful young ladies wash your hair, they really wash your hair &endash; four times. The washing stage is done lying fully flat on your back on a bed (again the vibrating rollers up and down your spine) and with your neck and head over a hand-basin.
At this point Miss Beijing Airport really gets to work with enthusiasm and gusto, and with much snapping of her fingers against your temples. Just why they do this finger snapping routine is rather an oriental mystery, but it is de rigueur when you have a haircut in China. Perhaps it is to keep you awake and break you out of that reverie. For those hirsute chaps with beard, mustache and side-whiskers, they'll cut those as well. And as for the ladies, they have a wide range of services. The cost is just peanuts in UK terms, but when compared to the norm in China &endash; it's pricey.
But it's a great way to kill time in Beijing International.
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