Next came a massage I was not expecting. It started with a bit of manipulation of the temples, followed by the barber's attemp to drag the top half of my face down towards my chin (and vice-versa) with his big burly hands. I'm sure it's good for you. I wasn't sure it was good for me, though. he then made his way down to my shoulders and managed to pull me around in such a way that I squealed like a girl. This was not relaxing -- this was pinful! Evidently I was knotted up. I must have needed it, I reasoned.
There was an audible crack as he grabbed my head and twisted it,to the right. All of it quite unexpected. To the left, no cracking sound. And we weren't quite done yet...
To finidh off, the barber got a pair of tongs. He took a ball of cotton wool an wrapped it tightly around the tip of the tongs, so that it looked like a large cotton bud. He then doused the cotton wool in what must have been pure alcohol, set it fire, and began to fling it at my face. Using one hand to cover the top of my ear and my hair, he flashed it against my ear, singeing the small hairs in and around the ear.