i can personally admit that this is true... nothing more satisfying than having my ear clean with a q tip or have my gf lick my ear..... just the feeling is sensational...... its intense....
but whoa didnt know there is an actual cleaning utensil set for ears, or salons that offer this kind of stuff.......
Quote:
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- To most Westerners, the idea of paying someone to stick little scoops and tweezers into their ears is downright unnerving. To Vietnamese, it's an art.
Though the procedure may sound like torture, men line up day in and day out to experience this unorthodox probing. It's part of the country's pampering culture and is offered in corner barbershops, the oases where Vietnamese while away hot afternoons with luxurious shampoos, relaxing shaves and facials. But it's the picking that elicits moans of ecstasy.
Many returning Vietnamese-Americans head straight to these barbershops, or "hot tocs," after disembarking from long United and EVA Air flights at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
"It brings a lot of happiness," said Silicon Valley resident Nguyen Tuong Tam, who always heads to a hot toc upon arriving in this city, also known as Saigon. He likens a good ear picking to good sex. Indeed, fans of ear picking gleefully talk about "ear-gasms."
There is a spot near the ear drum that, when touched the right way, "tingles," said 26-year-old ear picker Nguyen Thi Le Hang. "For one person, it may just be a tickle. For another person, it's a mind-blowing experience."
In fact, the ear has a G-spot, said Dr. Todd Dray, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Santa Clara. "The skin in your ear is super thin -- it's paper thin," he said. "It's very sensitive. And there are a lot of nerves that converge in the ear."
That explains why some customers have been known to blurt out, "Will you marry me!" Ear pickers usually ignore such exclamations as they would words of endearment from a drunk.
Just as a shampoo in Vietnam is more than washing hair -- it's also head massage, shoulder massage and a refreshing facial -- ear picking is more than cleaning the ear. It helps reduce the tensions of living in the bustling, horn-honking metropolis of 9 million people, fans say.
Though the practice is mostly popular among men, some Vietnamese women enjoy regular ear pickings, too.
"Everybody is afraid the first time -- but after, it's, 'Oh my God!' " said Katie Dang, a 20-something singer who spends time in the United States and Ho Chi Minh City. "The men do a very good job. But the women are better. They have the magic hands."
Ear picking has long been practiced in Vietnam and other Asian countries. And a few Vietnamese barbershops in San Jose have quietly offered the service. But in recent years, practitioners in Vietnam have elevated it beyond simply removing ear wax to an experience on par with massage, said Hien Nhan, a former Californian who owns Lido's Spa in Ho Chi Minh City.
Those offering the service range from a guy with a chair along a busy street to air-conditioned barbershops with several ear picking specialists and shops where the staff wear alluring uniforms. A picking and a shave can cost as little as $2, plus tip.
It's not uncommon for ear pickers to give a customer Vietnamese coffee or tea before he settles in. He then reclines in a barber chair, tilting his head to one side. The ear picker, frequently a young woman wearing a head lamp, begins to gently probe.
"Some people like it really soft, others like it to hurt," ear picking proprietor Nhan said. "It's like a massage."
After scooping up some ear wax, she scrapes it onto the customer's hand as a way to show off her handiwork. The tools include a tiny razor to shave hairs, a miniature shovel-like device to scoop up wax, tweezer-like objects to scrape the inner ear and little cotton balls on sticks that are twirled inside the ear to tickle the skin. The overall effect is so soothing it's not uncommon for customers to doze off.
The procedure, ear pickers say, takes about a week to learn but months to perfect. Those who become highly skilled develop a following.
Ear pickers ply their trade with a mix of intense concentration and flirtation -- one reason men often don't want girlfriends or wives to know about their ear experiences. Frisky ear pickers sometimes blow into customers' ears. There are stories of customers leaving wives for ear pickers and a life of in-home ear pleasure.
But all this ear fun can have unintended consequences.
Ear specialist Dray cautions against unsafe ear picking. If implements are reused without being sterilized -- which is common in many shops -- customers can be exposed to a variety of viruses and even Hepatitis B, though that's relatively rare, he said. Too much ear picking can leave ears dry and itching. And if done improperly, ear picking can pack wax deeper into the ear, causing an infection called otitis externa, or swimmer's ear.
"It's like smoking or drinking beer," said Truong Phung, a 44-year-old professional who visits a bare-bones barbershop every two or so weeks. "Some of my friends say it's not safe, but I still come here. They do it without any license or insurance. If something bad happens to you, I don't know what they could do."
Dray, however, said the risks from ear picking can be greatly reduced by a few simple precautions.
"If you bring your own instruments, and you have found someone who is good at it," he said, "go for it."
I still have never gone to the motherland. Planning on it next year though
bloodmack
02-24-2011 01:29 PM
So OP. You get a boner everytime you clean your ears? :rofl:
TheKingdom2000
02-24-2011 01:50 PM
I've never used a Q-tip to clean my ears ever.
I've only ever used the "little spoon" to dig out the crap in my ears.
PiuYi
02-24-2011 02:02 PM
i wanna try
phunky.FOB
02-24-2011 02:07 PM
i wanan go here now
Gumby
02-24-2011 03:04 PM
Something to keep in mind:
Someone on my Facebook friends list just perforated her eardrum with the little spoon thingy.
rageguy
02-24-2011 03:11 PM
Buy a "mimikaki", a small scoop/spoon thing. Much better than Q-Tips because Q-Tips push the wax deeper into your ear, whereas a scoop can pick it out.
SB7
02-24-2011 04:08 PM
You know what's even better? Getting your ears flushed out with a funnel and water. You would be surprised at just how much wax is stuck in your ear, and how clearly everything sounds after. :)
Fappin
02-24-2011 04:54 PM
My dad has one of those too, never really wanted to try it myself but was tempted on trying it at a hairsalon when I saw one of the chicks cleaning out some guy's ear in Vietnam. Heard it feels really good
ilvtofu
02-24-2011 05:09 PM
Ugh I love/hate that feeling of getting your ear picked by someone, it feels super sensitive and nervous >.<
Has anyone had their ear candled before? My grandma did it about 6 years ago on our trip to china and she said she loved it.
dub.g
02-24-2011 05:18 PM
^ i still get that nervous feeling.. my gf does the metal scoop thing for me.. it has that satisfaction yet unease feel......... but i still look forward to it..
i do the q tip thing like once a month, id jus went it with water and twirl it inside..
but yes either methods im nervous bout hitting the drum or something in there
watching some youtube vids from people's experience from those salons, it looks like their just in ecstasy or fallen asleep from the procedure, it just looks really relaxing, i want to try it if there was a local place that does it
2 n r
02-24-2011 05:25 PM
lol i love the metal ear picking things, get ur ears so clean
SkinnyPupp
02-24-2011 05:47 PM
asians love picking and cleaning ears for some reason. You see it no matter which country you go to - spas offering ear picking and ear candles in China, guys handcrafting custom made wooden earpicks in Japan...
I've tried scraping my ears, but almost nothing comes out. I think it's better to just use a Q-tip after showering every day.
I do agree it feels really fucken good though :)
scottsman
02-24-2011 06:39 PM
the ear candle is awesome.
winson604
02-24-2011 07:42 PM
I've been cleaning my ears with the metal scoops since I was a little kid. It's hands down way better then a Q tip. I remember when I was young I always looked so forward when my mom would help me out as yes it does feel pretty crazy. Of course as I got older I learned to do it myself but it just isn't the same. Oh wells at least my ears are clean.
G-spec
02-24-2011 07:59 PM
I just go to a walk in clinic twice a year and they flush out all my ear wax by streaming hot warm water into my ear with a syringe, the hot water breaks up all the wax and the pressure pushes all the wax chunks out.
Super quick in and out in 5 mins not including wait time, and it cleans out every little bit Posted via RS Mobile
124Y
02-24-2011 08:08 PM
Does it come with happy ending?
J____
02-24-2011 08:16 PM
man!! I used to LOVE getting my ears picked when i was younger! it felt like scratching an itch but 100x better. My parents did it for me when i was younger, then my gf did when I got older hahaha
J____
02-24-2011 08:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottsman
(Post 7318327)
the ear candle is awesome.
ear candle is pretty awesome how it works, but it takes the fun and pleasure of getting your ears picked.
quasi
02-24-2011 09:14 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by G-spec
(Post 7318445)
I just go to a walk in clinic twice a year and they flush out all my ear wax by streaming hot warm water into my ear with a syringe, the hot water breaks up all the wax and the pressure pushes all the wax chunks out.
Super quick in and out in 5 mins not including wait time, and it cleans out every little bit Posted via RS Mobile
Yup, as someone who produces a retarded amount of ear wax it's the way to go. I used to have it done probably 4 times a year because my ears literally get plugged with wax and it fucks up my hearing. Lately I've been using the stuff from the pharmacy that breaks it up, sounds like one of those Fizz candies going off in your ear.