I'm feeling very reluctant to write this post but, without going into a lot of detail, I just wanted to let other travellers to Bukit Lawang know about a very bad experience I had getting a massage here.

It was with a guy called Puek, he comes around to rooms and brings with him a book of recommendations (which all looked quite legitimate, it seems like he has been doing massage here for quite a few years). I read some of the recommendations, and got a short head massage last week from him, and he seemed fine, so yesterday I got an hour long massage.

Anyway, I don't really want to describe what happened, but he was EXTREMELY inappropriate during the massage. Sometimes with massage these things can be a bit blurred - but at one point I said to him, 'What? Stop!' (In Indonesian). He apologized, and I thought maybe it was just a misunderstanding, but then a few minutes later he did a similar thing again, on another area of my body. This time there was no 'blurry area' - I jumped off the bed, and stopped the massage immediately. He apologized and I didn't say much. I was just in shock.

Afterwards I just felt disgusting, it was a horrible experience. I have never had anything like this happen to me before - and I've been getting massages at home in Australia, and in South East Asia for years, so I'm no massage novice. He only speaks Indonesian, and very quickly, so I don't understand a lot of what he says. It is perhaps possible that at the beginning of the massage he asked if I wanted a sexual kind of massage, and, not understanding, I just kind of nodded. But - what is he doing offering those kind of massages in the first place? Also, he didn't stop after I'd said "Stop" the first time, so...well, I just feel very upset about the whole thing.

I told the staff of the guesthouse where I'm staying and they were shocked, and I'm going to be talking about it to the manager today. The staff were extremely sympathetic and said that we must tell the management - so the locals weren't at all trying to play this down. I just want to end by saying that the locals here are some of the friendliest I have met anywhere in Indonesia, and I would not want to put anyone off coming here - I just wanted to put the word out to tell women particularly to avoid him.

(This is my first time posting on this forum.  I am active on the Thorn Tree travel forum, where I first posted this. and a friend of mine who is active on both this forum and the TT forum suggested I post this message here as well.) 

Hi Emma33,

So sorry to hear about your very unpleasant experience at the hands of someone who should honestly know better.

Thank you for having the courage to let other unsuspecting women know about this young masssuer Puek operating in Bukit Lawang.  

Too often women encounter this type of unwarranted behaviour, but lack the courage to mention it to those around them or on one of the forums. 

I am pleased to say this trend is changing and women are at last voicing their concern at such unwarranted bahaviour on the part of Indonesian males.
This is the third such post I have read in the past few months from female travellers who have experienced unwelcomed behaviour of a sexual nature.

Two were from Bukit Lawang and one from Ketambe.

Hoping your holiday will be a pleasant one from herein.

Pamela.