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China Elevator Stories
“Foreigners also need body scrubs”
I overhear employees at a bathhouse in Siping talking about me.
20/11/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
In October 2014, I stay in my husband’s hometown, Siping. Located in Northeast China, Siping experiences winter temperatures that can drop well below -20°C. Like most apartments in China, ours doesn’t have a bathtub. Northeast China is famous for its bathing culture, and bathhouses (洗浴) are common.
One evening, we visit a small bathhouse. I soak in the hot water of a wooden bathtub. For hygiene reasons, the bathtub is lined with a large plastic bag that is replaced for each person. After my bath, I decide to get a body scrub (搓澡). The bathhouse employees mention that body scrubs can be done up to once a week.
As I’m getting my body scrub, one of the employees says to the woman working on me: “A foreigner!” She laughs.
The woman giving me the body scrub replies: “Foreigners also need body scrubs.”
Have you ever been to a bathhouse in China?
This is part of the series ‘Conversations with Locals in China,’ where I share conversations with Chinese people on my blog.