by A free massage after a day of sightseeing might sound too good to turn down, but what about if it involves some snakes to help you relax? Cebu City Zoo in the Philippines offers a “snake massage” with four giant Burmese pythons, free of charge for those who dare.
The Pythons – named Michelle, Walter, EJ and Daniel – are taken out of their cages and placed one at a time on top of visitors, who lie down on a bamboo bed near the zoo’s main entrance. Under the watchful eye of zookeepers, the snakes slowly slither across their ᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴛ’s ʙᴏᴅʏ for up to 15 minutes.
The pythons are each fed around 10 chickens before the massage begins to help curb any hunger pains they might have.
A volunteer, Ian Maclean from Hawaii, said:
“I’ve been massaged twice and ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ to tell the tale. I had to lie on my back on a bamboo daybed in the open air. I was briefed on what to do and what not to do during the massage. These instructions are crucial, as you can imagine. They tell you not to blow air on the snake, because this is like being ᴘɪɴᴄʜᴇᴅ on the bum, apparently. You can’t sʜᴏᴜᴛ for help as the snake can feel your ᴠɪʙʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴs and thinks you’re ᴘʀᴇʏ or a ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀ, depending on the environment.”
But this bizarre treat isn’t for the ꜰᴀɪɴᴛ-ʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ – Burmese pythons can quickly sǫᴜᴇᴇᴢᴇ their victims to ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. Burmese Pythons are known to be very friendly, but they can sense if you are ᴛᴇɴsᴇ and that makes them uneasy. They are of course known for ᴄᴏɴsᴛʀɪᴄᴛɪɴɢ their ᴘʀᴇʏ, but as long as they are not coiled around you they are very friendly.
Zoo manager Giovanni Romarate added: “At first, visitors feel ꜰᴇᴀʀ but most of the guests who try the snake massage say that they like it.”
How about you? Would you consider being massaged by 4 huge Burmese pythons? Share your thoughts with us below!
