Original source
China’s Bizarre $3 Hammer Massage!
Xi'an Hammer Massage: A $3 Street Treatment in China
Would you let someone hit you with a hammer for just $3? 🇨🇳
In Xi’an, China, we discovered one of the most bizarre massage experiences we’ve ever tried. Forget the relaxing massages you might be used to — this treatment involves a hammer, and we had to experience it for ourselves!
But what does a...
Would you let someone hit you with a hammer for just $3? 🇨🇳
In Xi’an, China, we discovered one of the most bizarre massage experiences we’ve ever tried. Forget the relaxing massages you might be used to — this treatment involves a hammer, and we had to experience it for ourselves!
But what does a traditional Chinese hammer massage actually feel like? Does it hurt? And is it really worth just $3?
August 2026 | Vlog 647 Beijing, China
Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far
When we finally started our adventure
Buy us a beer and I will toast to you on the next video. Cheers 🍻
Hello and welcome to our channel,
We are Reanne and Ben living in Portsmouth, England. We have been together from the age of 15.
We brought our first house together at 23, got married at 25 and Reanne started her own business at 27.
We have been wanting to travel the world so
The day has finally come we have sold our business and and our house to explore as much of the world Full Time.
We created this YouTube channel to share our adventure with everyone who wants to explore but don’t know how. Let us know what you think of our channel so leave a comment we’d love to hear from you x
Join us on our adventures
Buy us a beer and I will toast to you on the next video. Cheers 🍻
Hello and welcome to our channel,
We are Reanne and Ben living in Portsmouth, England. We have been together from the age of 15.
We brought our first house together at 23, got married at 25 and Reanne started her own business at 27.
We have been wanting to travel the world so
The day has finally come we have sold our business and and our house to explore as much of the world Full Time.
We created this YouTube channel to share our adventure with everyone who wants to explore but don’t know how. Let us know what you think of our channel so leave a comment we’d love to hear from you x
Join us on our adventure
In Xi'an, a couple stops at a street-side massage chair and pays about two pounds for a 15-minute session with a hammer. The therapist pulls hammers, mallets and other tools from a suitcase and works on arms, shoulders and head while they joke about UFC moves. One of them gets a makeup wipe and a head massage; a second therapist works with a cigarette in his mouth and coughs through it. The couple describe pins and needles, goosebumps and standing hair, and say they feel relaxed afterwards. Asked about the technique, the therapists call it an old treatment, thousands of years old, and introduce themselves as doctors. The couple pay 40 for two sessions and mention an offer of another massage.
Would you let someone hit you with a hammer for just $3? 🇨🇳
In Xi’an, China, we discovered one of the most bizarre massage experiences we’ve ever tried. Forget the relaxing massages you might be used to — this treatment involves a hammer, and we had to experience it for ourselves!
But what does a traditional Chinese hammer massage actually feel like? Does it hurt? And is it really worth just $3?
August 2026 | Vlog 647 Beijing, China
Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far
When we finally started our adventure
Buy us a beer and I will toast to you on the next video. Cheers 🍻
Hello and welcome to our channel,
We are Reanne and Ben living in Portsmouth, England. We have been together from the age of 15.
We brought our first house together at 23, got married at 25 and Reanne started her own business at 27.
We have been wanting to travel the world so
The day has finally come we have sold our business and and our house to explore as much of the world Full Time.
We created this YouTube channel to share our adventure with everyone who wants to explore but don’t know how. Let us know what you think of our channel so leave a comment we’d love to hear from you x
Join us on our adventures
Buy us a beer and I will toast to you on the next video. Cheers 🍻
Hello and welcome to our channel,
We are Reanne and Ben living in Portsmouth, England. We have been together from the age of 15.
We brought our first house together at 23, got married at 25 and Reanne started her own business at 27.
We have been wanting to travel the world so
The day has finally come we have sold our business and and our house to explore as much of the world Full Time.
We created this YouTube channel to share our adventure with everyone who wants to explore but don’t know how. Let us know what you think of our channel so leave a comment we’d love to hear from you x
Join us on our adventure
The video opens mid-session at a street-side massage chair, with a therapist tapping one of the creators with a hammer while people watch. The couple joke that every day should start with a massage, and the price is put at two pounds. As the session goes on the therapist pulls hammers, mallets and other tools from a suitcase, crossing arms and working on shoulders, and the couple debate whether it is a traditional technique or a local one. They describe pins and needles, goosebumps and standing hair, and one of them says they feel very relaxed. Asked how old the treatment is, the therapist says thousands of years old and introduces herself as a doctor. The work then moves to the head, with a makeup wipe and a comment about looking young, and one of them compares the finger pressure to bones coming out through the fingers. A second therapist with a cigarette in his mouth and a cough works on the other side, which both of them find hard to believe. They pay 40 for the two sessions, mention an offer of another massage and show a mark on a hand before the massage section ends.
In Xi'an, a couple stops at a street-side massage chair and pays about two pounds for a 15-minute session with a hammer. The therapist pulls hammers, mallets and other tools from a suitcase and works on arms, shoulders and head while they joke about UFC moves. One of them gets a makeup wipe and a head massage; a second therapist works with a cigarette in his mouth and coughs through it. The couple describe pins and needles, goosebumps and standing hair, and say they feel relaxed afterwards. Asked about the technique, the therapists call it an old treatment, thousands of years old, and introduce themselves as doctors. The couple pay 40 for two sessions and mention an offer of another massage.
A street-side hammer massage in Xi'an: two pounds, 15 minutes, hammers and mallets from a suitcase, a smoking therapist and plenty of jokes.
Xi'an Hammer Massage: A $3 Street Treatment in China
1:13 Expect to pay around two pounds for a massage on the street; the couple paid 40 in total for two sessions, so keep small notes or a phone payment ready.
1:40 Watch the tools before you sit down: the therapist works from a suitcase and brings out hammers and mallets one after another during the massage.
1:51 The session is short enough to squeeze into a sightseeing day; this couple chose it while they were meant to be visiting the ancient walled city, drawn in by the price.
4:21 Sensations range from pins and needles to goosebumps and standing hair, and one of them says they feel very relaxed by the end, so it is not only about pressure.
4:52 Ask how old the technique is and you may be told thousands of years; the therapists present themselves as doctors, so treat that as their own description rather than verified history.
6:54 Be ready for the therapist to wipe your makeup off with a tissue and tell you that you look young; the couple found that part of the session odd.
8:39 Expect the unexpected: one therapist worked with a cigarette in his mouth and coughed through the massage, which the couple could hardly believe.
11:03 At the end the couple had paid 40 for two massages, twice the quoted amount, and mention an offer of another session from the therapist.
1:13 Expect to pay around two pounds for a massage on the street; the couple paid 40 in total for two sessions, so keep small notes or a phone payment ready.
1:40 Watch the tools before you sit down: the therapist works from a suitcase and brings out hammers and mallets one after another during the massage.
1:51 The session is short enough to squeeze into a sightseeing day; this couple chose it while they were meant to be visiting the ancient walled city, drawn in by the price.
4:21 Sensations range from pins and needles to goosebumps and standing hair, and one of them says they feel very relaxed by the end, so it is not only about pressure.
4:52 Ask how old the technique is and you may be told thousands of years; the therapists present themselves as doctors, so treat that as their own description rather than verified history.
6:54 Be ready for the therapist to wipe your makeup off with a tissue and tell you that you look young; the couple found that part of the session odd.
8:39 Expect the unexpected: one therapist worked with a cigarette in his mouth and coughed through the massage, which the couple could hardly believe.
11:03 At the end the couple had paid 40 for two massages, twice the quoted amount, and mention an offer of another session from the therapist.
0:00 Intro at the massage chair
0:42 Deciding to try it
1:13 A two-pound hammer massage
2:05 Tools out of the suitcase
3:06 Traditional or local technique?
4:21 Pins, needles and goosebumps
4:52 Old doctors and an old treatment
6:54 Head work and a makeup wipe
8:39 Cigarette in the therapist's mouth
11:03 Paying and an extra offer
0:00 Intro at the massage chair
0:42 Deciding to try it
1:13 A two-pound hammer massage
2:05 Tools out of the suitcase
3:06 Traditional or local technique?
4:21 Pins, needles and goosebumps
4:52 Old doctors and an old treatment
6:54 Head work and a makeup wipe
8:39 Cigarette in the therapist's mouth
11:03 Paying and an extra offer
How much does a street hammer massage cost in Xi'an?
About two pounds for a session; the couple paid 40 in total for two massages at the end of the video.
How long does the massage take?
The session is advertised as 15 minutes, enough time for arms, shoulders, head and hands to be worked on.
What tools do the therapists use?
Hammers, mallets and other tools kept in a suitcase; the therapist picks a different one for each part of the body.
Does a hammer massage hurt?
It is not a gentle spa massage. One of the couple compared the finger work to bones coming out through the fingers and mentioned the therapist's strength, while the other described goosebumps and standing hair.
Where in China was this filmed?
In Xi'an, according to the video description; the couple squeezed the massage in while they were meant to be visiting the ancient walled city.
Are the therapists really doctors?
They introduced themselves as doctors and called the treatment thousands of years old, but the video does not verify any qualification, so treat it as their own description.
What was unusual about the session?
One therapist kept a cigarette in his mouth and coughed during the massage, and the other wiped makeup off one of the couple and told her she looked young.
Did they get anything extra?
After paying 40 for the two massages, they mention that a therapist offered another session; they also show a mark on a hand before leaving.
