Massage Parlor

Posted by Twelvebit (Victoria, United States) on 27 June 2008 in Cityscape & Urban.

San Antonio Image 11

I passed by this scene in the Riverwalk Mall and knew I had to take a picture (and btw, "taking" a picture is interesting terminology is it not? I highly recommend "On Photography" by Susan Sontag for those who want to explore the existential basis of photography). I stopped outside this "shop" but hesitated to remove my camera from its bag (and here I will make one very rare product endorsement: I love my Crumpler [Australian] camera bags. The "3 Million Dollar Bag" I use for my D40 is very discreet and does not call out "camera inside" --and it allows me to position my camera, lens-down, for quick retrieval).

Anyway, as I stood there, I got the feeling a photograph might not be appreciated, so even though I was completely within my legal rights and should have been able to stand there taking photos all day if I wanted, I waited for the right moment, unholstered my camera, shot, and left. The right moment, I decided, was when the mountainous man who stood at the back of the shop over the masseuses like he was supervising prison labor, moved away from my line of sight (I try to avoid a hassle when it looks like there may be one coming). You can see him at the very back, his arm just sticking out to the right of the sign in the foreground. He was not emitting a friendly-kind-of-take-my-photo vibe.

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