Hiyoshido, a Japanese massage parlor in Kyoto, offers muscle-reshaping services

After a day of walking around Kyoto, I had sukiyaki at Komaitei next to the Kamogawa River. After the food healed my stomach, I was committed to experiencing the local massage wherever I went, so I searched for a store and chose Hiyoshido after eliminating some suspicious places. To be honest, I didn't have much hope for the walk-in, but it was not far from the restaurant, so we decided to go directly to the store.

We walked along the streets of Kyoto and saw a silver-haired and elegant old man in a black long windbreaker get off a black Lexus and disappear at the intersection where the path forked. I was like: Is this the president? Is the president going to have a drink somewhere? We went into the narrower and narrower alleys. To be honest, this part really felt like the movie "The Night Is Short"! At the end of the alley, I found Hiyoshido and reunited with the old man in black.

It turned out that the president was also here for a massage! But the president was taken to the second floor with dignity, while we who were walking in were arranged on the first floor. Luckily, I was able to get in directly! Hiyoshido charges by time, with options of 60, 90, and 120 minutes (see Figure 3 for the price list).

The massage room is a four-and-a-half-tatami-sized Japanese-style room with a miniature Japanese-style dry landscape atrium. The room is filled with quilts that are heated by the floor, and yukatas are provided for massage. Unlike the massage bed used in classic Thai massage, the massage at Hiyoshido is all done on the floor - it's really Japanese haha.

After changing clothes, two uncles came in. Their English level is about 0, while my Japanese level is about 0.1. But Japanese service always reveals a mysterious sense of belief: whether you can understand it or not, I will output it first. After the output, I start to work. I have to say that Japanese massage is still very novel. Unlike Thai massage, which focuses on joints, loosening bones and muscles, Japanese massage mainly relies on acupressure, which is said to have absorbed techniques such as acupuncture points in traditional Chinese medicine. When the uncle presses, he mainly uses the fingertips to apply force, stays for a few seconds, and applies pressure evenly and slowly.

So the whole process is very long and gentle, and there will not be a strong pain. After the massage, the muscles and bones are really smooth, and the fatigue of the day is relieved a lot. After getting dressed and walking out of the massage room, the boss lady thoughtfully prepared drinks and store stickers as gifts, and the shoes were also placed neatly. The sound of the water flowing in the Kamogawa River cannot pass through the long street, and our muscles are reshaped in the warm Japanese room.

Shop name: Hiyoshido Massage
Address: 347 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073, Japan
Business hours: Monday and Tuesday afternoon 14:00-22:00, the rest of the time 13:00-24:00