www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
Business / Talking Business

Olympic chances elude professionals

By Bai Ping (China Daily) Updated: 2016-09-06 07:43

Olympic chances elude professionals

A therapist preparing a cup with fire. [Photo/Agencies]

The other day several friends and I were chatting about cupping, a traditional Chinese therapy to relax leg, back and shoulder muscles, when one of them bent down and showed off red marks from the "fire cup" below the back of his neck.

Another friend pitched in, saying that he had also tried it, after the Rio Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps touted its benefits on social media. But he had opted for rubber cups with an air pump that would produce less efficacy than the "fire cup", but leave no trace.

When I was a child, I learned from my mother who was a specialist in traditional Chinese medicine about how cupping worked. The glass "fire cup" sucked the skin over the areas of discomfort after the heating created a vacuum. While such cupping might be the most effective with soreness or pain, it would create obvious large circles that were often associated with gangsters in the old days.

Now they could also be the evidence for recent visits to massage parlors that are most common providers of the service, but a professional would shun or at least be discreet about them amid crackdowns on extravagance and activities with negative connotations.

The ancient cure and the street-corner "therapists" were poised for a rare, precious boost recently after a flurry of media reports of Phelps and other sports and Hollywood stars swearing by the treatment. Suddenly, people have greater respect for it and they are more open about the experience.

However, it seems massage parlor operators have not seen an Olympic-sized business opportunity in the newfound popularity of cupping and other traditional treatments that they offer on their premises.

Ironically, while they work hard to convince users about curing effects of their services, this is often the kind of things they want to do but not to talk about in public.

One main reason is that massage outlets and their workers have operated in murky areas when they practiced traditional Chinese treatments. While Chinese regulations require such treatments to be given by hospitals, enforcers have turned a blind eye to less complicated therapies like cupping at massage parlors, although workers need to have a license and training.

But with loose monitoring and rising labor costs, managers are not motivated to hire licensed therapists and provide proper training. Due to cutthroat competition, parlors have also taken the high-end path, shifting from a cheap foot soak and rub to expensive massage packages that include cupping as a minor item.

At a large foot massage establishment near my home, a package complete with foot and hand reflexology, and a back massage ranges from nearly 200 yuan ($30.3) to almost 1,000 yuan when it involves a herbal steam sauna.

Walk-in visitors can still order cupping, a pedicure or ear-picking that each costs 58 yuan for a 20-minute session. But workers say that they don't welcome customers who come just for these side dishes without ordering a main course.

With the economic slowdown leading to cuts to entertainments expenses, all parlors have found their existence hinging on cajoling customers into buying luxury packages and prepaid cards that keep them coming back, as well as improving cash-flows.

Massage is a serious business in China. Beijing alone boasts about 8,600 massage parlors employing 200,000 workers. Nationwide, the industry employs many millions of migrant farmers or retrenched urban workers.

But almost all are struggling to find a solid, long-term business model. The Olympics-induced buzz about cupping and other forms of Chinese healing could have been a new impetus to the occupation. But, it has turned out to be an opportunity squandered as the business continues its pursuit of short-term profits.

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 婷婷久久久五月综合色 | 最新国产一区二区精品久久 | 亚洲午夜片| 自拍偷拍欧美视频 | 窝窝人体色 | 91亚洲精品 | 色偷偷成人网免费视频男人的天堂 | 91国语精品自产拍在线观看一 | 欧美日韩中文一区二区三区 | 97天天干 | 真人一级毛片全部免 | 国产真实乱系列2孕妇 | 国产一级做a爰片在线看免费 | 91久久综合九色综合欧美98 | 亚洲欧美日韩一区 | 欧美另类性视频在线看 | 久久一日本道色综合久久m 久久伊人成人网 | 欧美a欧美1级 | 国内精品国语自产拍在线观看55 | 精品免费久久久久国产一区 | 国产中文字幕视频在线观看 | 黄色a∨ | 久久99国产精品一区二区 | 成人免费手机在线看网站 | 亚洲黄色在线播放 | a级成人毛片久久 | 日本特级淫片免费看 | 99在线视频免费 | 亚洲国产精品日韩在线观看 | 美女的被男人桶爽网站 | 9191精品国产观看 | 欧美精品一区二区三区在线 | 国产美女作爱 | 91手机看片国产福利精品 | 精品国产欧美一区二区 | 亚洲国产精品第一区二区三区 | 亚洲精品成人一区二区 | 日韩一级 | 最新版天堂资源中文官网 | 久艹视频在线观看 | 国产在线播放一区二区 |