Reminiscing

Posted in Random Musings, Rio de Janeiro, Tips for Travelers on 04. Jan, 2012

Hi all,

A cold front has swept the entire eastern seaboard here in the US. On Sunday temps almost set record highs. But yesterday and today, when I got up the thermometer on the back porch hovered at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes!

So I find myself thinking about Rio, where it is currently summertime, and a massage on the beach.

One of my favorite activities in Rio, and one that I encourage you to experience if you visit The Marvelous City, is a massage on the beach. You can get an hour massage in Ipanema near Post 9 for maybe 60-65 reais per hour (1 real currently = about 55 cents). On the beach in Leblon expect to pay 70. In Copacabana, anywhere from 55 to 65. Prices may be higher now that the high season has arrived.

So I preferred to get my massage in Flamengo. From Marques de Abrantes avenue, I would stroll toward the beach and cross the passarela, the elevated walkway over the coastal arteries leading to and from downtown. Once on the beach side, I would walk ahead and drift right, looking for Professor Jesse under his usual palm tree.

Jesse Rodrigues is a licensed massage therapist who uses a mixture of Swiss massage and shiatsu. His massages are relaxing but he can also dig in and work out the knots. There’s little I enjoy more than a massage there under Jesse’s palm tree, classical music in the background, breeze rustling the fronds. And at 55 reais for an hour, it’s a deal by Rio standards.

You can find Jesse almost any day that the weather is fair. Note that he’s popular, and on weekends you may have to wait awhile unless you arrive early, say 8:00. But during the week it’s likely he can take you right away. If there’s a wait, grab a coconut or a caipirinha nearby and kick back against a palm tree.

Life’s simple pleasures are definitely the best.

John
In North Carolina, but mentally on Flamengo Beach

PS Jesse’s numbers: 3283-0825 (home) and 8658-0485 (cell)