A Tale of Two Jobs

An estimator in an industrial design firm by day, and a massage therapist at night!

From the onset, it would seem that these two irreconcilable careers would take toll upon each other as each demands skillful manipulation or mastery quite apart from one another. But for Cris Gallano, this is no feat at all.

For him, it all starts with the desire to earn more. “Let’s face it, we OFWs are here abroad for one basic reason, that is, to earn. My thinking however is if, and only if possible, I would want to earn some more,” he said.

Cris is employed in one of the industrial design manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia. The nature of his job exacts from him keen research skill and attention to details as he estimates the cost and pricing of each job his company contracts. It is said that his job is the bread and butter of his company because the sole determination of its probable profit rests upon his precise calculation.

Because of this, Cris has to be more alert, aggressive, and energetic with his work. But taking a glimpse at his schedule, he would wonder how does Cris accomplish this when he spends his off-work times routing the streets of Jeddah.

“I do not say that my job is easy. It’s just that when you get used to it, have already mastered its ins and outs, then it becomes your second nature. Then after a while, you become bored with it, and you tend to have more wasted than productive times,” Cris explained.

In a country where contracting and holding simultaneous jobs are not allowed, Cris is carefully mapping out his calendar. Although strictly speaking the prohibition applies only in terms of formal contracting of subsequent work, and one that is in conflict with the original one, he is bent on keeping the identity of his second job a secret.

“The primary reason is to avoid probable misinterpretation that I am holding another job. Second, there is a stigma attached to being masahista (massage therapist),” he confides. “Most of our kababayans equate the profession to male prostitution or that of selling cheap sex,” he continued.

It is known to many that the profession is typecast as “service exclusive to gay clienteles”. Cris however expressed his indignation about this, since majority of his clients are straight men and (also) women who need real rubdown to free themselves from back pain, joint stiffness and aching muscles. “They are the ones who at the end of the day are too exhausted from different activities like tennis (popular sport among OFWs in KSA) and other sports, from driving long kilometer roads, or those that suffer from work related stress. My clients are mostly engineers, nurses, laborers, and delivery men. And they have one common denominator, that is, they want relief and relaxation,” Cris narrated.

Consequently, he categorically denied that there is so-called “extra services” going-on during sessions. But then he admits that he is only speaking for himself, and admitted he knows more than a couple stories about masseurs who misuse the profession as enticement to that “extra service.”

Cris explained, and would like to emphasize, that in terms of productivity, catering to the carnal needs of some scrupulous clients is not beneficial in the long run. Normally, a masseur can get an appointment or two, but after a while, that client will cease to call him. Unbeknownst to him (masseur), his sexual performance report flies high in the city. It’s a case of bad reputation gained, and productivity lost.

If properly done, massage therapy could be a ticket to building a good network. It is actually one of the benefits Cris enjoys so much. “There are lots of interesting stories about our kababayans. How did they get here abroad, their dreams for their family, their future plans,” he enthused. But for Cris, the most important thing is the learning. It is through his clients’ stories that he gets insights useful for his job, and his own development. Then of course, knowing the right person in case of his personal needs is just of the few perks of having a good network.

But unlike any other jobs, Cris could not afford to advertise. So, he usually gets clients through referral. This is the reason why every person in a profession must strive to do his best. “I still believe that the best form of advertisement is testimonial, and you can only achieve that when your customers are satisfied. Whenever I receive a call who claims to be referred by a client, it never fails to make my day, for I know that when that happens, I know I did another job well done,” he beamed.

Because he’s got quite a skill in this area, he was even asked to become a resource speaker for a number of seminars in Riyad where he had previous job assignment for more than three years.
There he used to emphasize among the attendees and would-be-masseurs to master the basics, and continuously seek improvement by reading literatures and magazines (or the internet) about massage.

He also advised them to prevent the “trap”. The trap happens when a masseur not doing his research and not improving on skills, but burning with desire of maintaining the same level of income, eventually gives in to some of the so-called indecent offers. “This is the way one taints the profession,” Cris explains. “And this is how the label or stereotype about masseurs as “selling cheap meat” is being formed,” he continued.

He also cautioned fellow masseurs (and those contemplating to be one) to be extra careful with people they are dealing with it. If he is not comfortable with the personality of his clients, then turning down an appointment is still ok. Cris related his experience when he got a call one Friday (the usual day-off in KSA) afternoon. He went to the place and was ushered in a small square type pad. As the man locked the steel door behind them, he got tense when he was succumbed to the dark as there was no window and that the only way to get out is the same door that he went in.

“All throughout the session I was only thinking of how to get out in case the man does something wrong with me. I was even trying to recall my taekwondo lessons just in case the need arises (laughter),” Cris recalled. Later on, he found out that the man is a tnt (no proper documents) which is why he chose to stay in a cell-like pad. “From then on, I started asking questions to clients prior to setting up appointment, even it irks some of them (some refuses to divulge information),” he said. “Preventing danger is still the best way of getting out it,” he added.

But this is just one of the few small trade-offs. On the overall, the benefits outweigh the risks. There are life’s pleasure which otherwise could not be had if an OFW relies solely on his regular earning.

“I look at it this way, if one is able to send his salary to his family in the Philippines intact, then I think every little time spent on that second job is worth it,” Cris said.

The demand for a genuine massage service is great and the challenge to become more productive and earn more by doing it on the side is always there. People nowadays are more pre-occupied than even before, be it physical and mental. With the outpour of new technology and ever increasing demands and intricacies of work, ways of getting rid of stress becomes essential. And massage therapy is proven to be one of the best ways to beat it.

If you are up to the challenge, then get up and start greasing your hand!

(This article appeared in SAWALI E-newsletter. For your free subscription, e-mail us at sawalinews@yahoo.com.ph)