John Matthews Salon

It was another Saturday. I wanted to get a massage especially since I have been so stressed at work and all. And I was not in any mood for a so-so massage. I have tried other spas, both legitimate and those that have masseurs that offer extra. One that I have been coming back to is the John Matthews Salon located near the corner of New York Street and E. Rodriguez in Cubao.



It is accessible from Cubao and lies within what I term as the Cubao gay men's triangle of sin (which I will discuss on a later post). John Matthews Salon, as the name implies, is basically a salon. Get your hair done, get a manicure or pedicure, puff up your face with make up kind of salon. A few such salons have integrated spa services to allow consumers a sort of one-stop shop for beauty services but they usually have it as a secondary service. Most spas focus on their services and rarely diversify to other offerings. It is rare that one could find a place that would focus on both services (salon and spa) and be good at both.


I am not one to put much airs in fixing myself up. I don't have lotions or creams. I rarely put anything on my hair to sculpt it. I usually trim my own nails. Mind you. I do get facials once in a while, but that's it. Getting a massage, now that's something else all together. I have tried out a lot of different places and have rarely found satisfaction with their services. Most legitimate massage places have small women stretching you, kneading your skin, trying to provide the right pressure but to no avail. Massage parlors, whether it is one where you select a masseur or masseuse from behind a (supposedly) one-way mirror, seldom are venues to experience a relaxing massage as these are venues that facilitate "extra services." In other words, it is not often to find one that satisfy your needs. Sorry, I am looking for one that offers hard massage, bordering on deep tissue massages so a light hand is not what I would look for in a therapist.


That is where the John Matthews Salon comes in. They do have female therapists but their male therapists are worth coming back for. There have been times where I have been lulled to sleep by their massages.


When I do have the time, which was last Saturday for me, I go out of my way and visit them. There have been times that they could not accommodate me because their masseurs are already booked for the night so calling in for a reservation or coming on afternoons would be better. They also have a combination of spa services that may provide for a more relaxing, satisfying time. These offerings include detoxifying, foot spas, hair and scalp treatments, facial masks and body scrubs.

The offering I availed was one that had a body scrub, a hair and scalp treatment and, of course, a body massage. It was worth it. Time-wise, it was two and a half hours well spent on pampering yourself. In terms of cost, I felt it wasn't a waste. For others who would like to try it, there are other treatment combinations that you could avail, depending on what you need.

I got there around 9:30pm. Their spa services are available until 1pm. There was only one available cubicle left when got in. And luckily enough as well, my usual masseur was the only one available. If he was not available, I was comfortable with trying out the others. I then proceeded to the locker area where I was to get my towel, slippers and shorts/robe, leaving my valuables, clothes and shoes inside the locker. I had a shower. The therapist led me towards a chair where he applied some concoction on my hair and scalp. He fastened some sort of towelette to make sure it does not drip and covered it up by a shower cap. We walked to our assigned cubicle to begin the body scrub. Similar to the massage, he start from the back of my legs then up to my back before scrubbing the back of my arms. Turning me over, he kept scrubbing up my legs to the groin area before the chest and arms. Covering me up and resting for around 10 minutes, I was then asked to return to the shower and make sure that I had removed all of the coarse material that helped rid of my body's dead skin cells. After I am all dried up, the masseur led me back to the massage table and with his magical hands explored my entire body. Using a firm hand and a strong pressure, he made an effort to sooth my swollen muscles. After doing some stretching, I was allowed to rest awhile. It was time for me to go.

I felt both relaxed and invigorated as I left their premises. It also seemed i was so clean and smooth because of the body scrub. That was time well spent. Quality time for myself. Quality pampering from John Matthews Salon.




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Dreamboy Gay Bar

Another Saturday, another adventure. This time around my curiousity brought me to the Dreamboys Gay Bar located near the Betty Go Belmonte station. With its proximity to Cubao and being along Aurora Boulevard, it was quite easy to locate.


Why did I decide to visit this particular gay bar? I got an email through one of the yahoogroups I am subscribed to that they have a big night. It will be the Grand Finals of the Search for Mr. Dreamboy 2009. I almost did not go as I met some friends and it was difficult to get away from them and explain where I was headed. Luckily, I was able to escape and be at the bar by 12 midnight. As I mentioned on my blog about the Sir June Gay Bar, midnight is when their dancers start losing all their clothing. And in this case, I was expecting that the competition would be starting at that time.

Similar to my experience two weeks ago, I was early again. At least, this time around there were a number of patrons already in the venue. More than half the number of tables were occupied. It seems it was a big night indeed. The competition did not start yet but dancers were gyrating on the stage in trunks and they were either titillating the audience with the promise that a big one is lying erect under the thin cloth they are wearing or they leave nothing to the imagination. One after the another they strutted and teased up until half past 1 when the contest proper was on the way.

While waiting for the Search for Mr. Dreamboy 2009 to begin, I was approached by their floor manager to be a judge. Of course I accepted. I felt so priviledged to be asked but as I was not really on the out and out, I did not really provide my full name. There I was not only ready to enjoy the spectacle of seeing the gay bar's best of the best but also all set to objectively judge the candidates based on what the floor manager explained to me.

Once the pseudo-contest was on the way, my eye feasted on the eye candy parading in front of me. I half-expected to see more seasoned performers here especially since that was the impression from what I heard about this bar. Pleasantly surprised. As it turns out for 2009, they have rolled out invitations to newer macho dancers. They had their new wards compete for this year's Search for Mr. Dreamboy. They had an interesting array of participants - some on the muscular side, some almost twinky, a few a little chubby, some moreno, some fair - but all well-endowed and sexy. They were more than willing to up the ante as they tried to out-perform each other.

They started out with what they called as the national costume portion but I would hardly call these national costumes. The talent portion followed. That took quite some time since the dancers really made an effort in their performances. They had more costumes and back up dancers. I enjoyed each individual's efforts. Unlike my last gay bar trip,definitely all the macho dancers knew how to dance and none of them were stiff nor were they just going through their paces. All well-endowed, all flexible, all graceful. Since the talent portion took almost two hours, they rushed through the casual wear, swim wear and sports wear.

Around that time I realized that the competion was rigged. Because it tookso long, a few of the judges already left. We were also asked to contribute some money. From one of the dancers I got to talk to (and these were the ones not involved in the competition), the amout one contributes influences who wins. It discouraged me a bit but I just continued rating the dancers based on the criteria they supposedly set. They still did the interview portion but one would notice that the people they want to win were asked additional questions unlike the other dancers. Anyway, I did stay to the end - I believe I was the only judge left in the bar and just a few tables were still occupied. And as expected, (It was revealed by the dancers I was able to talk to during the night) the one they said was going to win did win.
All in all, a different experience. I enjoyed it though and if I was going back to the same gay bar, this would be it. They had a higher entrance fee but it was worth it especially with their big night. The place was well ventilated, even if the place got full. The guys were more than your average joes. They were not just picked up from the streets. They knew how to dance and they gave their all when they were on the stage. For me it was time and money well spent.

With this particlar bar, when they say it is a big night, they do deliver. Hoping when they do hold a different kind of big night, I am able to visit them.

How was your Saturday?





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