First comes the oil on your back. Then, the snakes.
At a spa in Cairo, Egypt, masseurs use pythons from among 28 nonvenomous species during 30-minute sessions. According to a video released by Reuters, the masseur gently taps the client’s back with a snake and then lets the animals slither freely over the client’s body.
Its owner, Safwat Sedki, maintains that the massage improves circulation, stimulates the mind, releases endorphins, and reduces muscle and joint pain. These are claims made by him and his clients: the footage includes no medical evidence, and he himself clarifies that the method is not a substitute for regular medical care. He explains that there are about 35 types of snakes in Egypt, seven of them venomous, and that the spa works only with nonvenomous ones.
At first, the sessions were free for anyone who wanted to try them. Today they cost 100 Egyptian pounds, about 6 dollars. Sedki says many people arrived afraid, but that the idea was accepted, especially by those with a phobia of snakes. One client said they started out nervous, and that their fear, anxiety, and tension gradually eased.
