Aqua Massage is blissful

JACKSON, N.J. -- I don't like being touched by strangers. Not even when they're massage therapists.

But touched by a machine? Now that's another story.

The setting for my tale of mechanical massage is an unlikely one -- Six Flags Great Adventure theme park. There, for $20, I bought 15 minutes of bliss in the form of an Aqua Massage -- and didn't even get wet.

I was in the park as a parent chaperone on a class trip with 80 eighth-graders. The kids were allowed to go off on their own as long as they checked in at certain times. So I found myself wandering alone past the Whac-a-Mole game, the Dare Devil Dive and the Kingda Ka coaster.

It was a warm day; I felt hot and sticky. My shoulders hurt from working at the computer the day before. My back ached from a heavy bag.

Then I noticed a sign: "Relaxation Station." I heard a soothing recorded voice promising a "full-body water massage without ever getting wet ... Ten to 15 minutes of invigorating water massage while you're fully clothed."

Inside, a few patrons sampled an aromatherapy/oxygen bar and massage chairs that resembled big comfy armchairs. But it was the Aqua Massage that I wanted.

I took off my tight shoes and put down my heavy bag. Then I lay face down on a narrow bed in a small dark room with a beaded curtain instead of a door. It felt private but not claustrophobic.

A roar louder than a shower filled my ears. A soft sheet like a waterproof windbreaker was attached to the cover of the machine; it conformed to the contours of my body and formed a barrier between me and the water. Waves and jets and needle spray began rolling over me, from my toes to my aching neck, without my ever getting wet.

After a few minutes, my mind filled with images of water. I thought of waterfalls, rain falling on a tin roof, plunging my hot feet in an ice-cold river, diving into a lake and floating on a wave at the beach. Over and over the Aqua Massage undulated, cooling and kneading and flowing over me.

Suddenly the roar stopped. I climbed out and put my shoes on. The ache in my back, shoulders and neck was gone. My feet never felt better.