What the Hell Is 'Rolfing?'
We always thought 'rolfing' was what you did after doing four tequila shots in a Daytona Beach sports bar. Turns out it's a violent and painful, New Age-y massage technique. And it's having a moment. Let's all get rolfed!
Actually, let's not. Here's how the Times describes Rolfing—named after its creator, the biochemist Ida Rolf:
Rolfers gouge with knuckles and knead with fists, contort limbs and lean into elbows to loosen tendons and ligaments. Patients, meanwhile, need the fortitude to relax and take it during the hourlong sessions.
Apparently this is all the rage among the airier classes, who long ago forgot how to feel anything but pain. One Wall Street trader described Rolfing to the Times as "paying $150 an hour for an Indian burn."
If you're not a Wall Street trader but still want to experience Rolfing, you can just take those four tequila shots at the bar then punch the bouncer in the face. You'll get much more than an Indian burn for only about $35.