Long time ago—actually, more like decades ago—Maalikaya was king of massage parlors. It spanned about four floors. The Presidential suite, located at the ground floor, was the acknowledged mecca. The waiting area was a comfortable bar slash coffee shop. The attendants were gorgeous, tall, and svelte. They even had a photo album filled with 8.5×11-inch portraits of their ladies. The rooms were spacious and even had its own private jacuzzi. The cost then was about P1,500, but bear in mind that the dollar rate then was fluctuating between P20-P24 to the dollar.

Lately, however, I have been noticing a decline in the quality of MP attendants. There was a time when the attendants also had to be good masseuses. Now their massage skills are severely lacking. In the heyday of Maalikaya, I would always get an attendant; nowadays, if I go to the top-of-the-line massage parlor, I frequently leave for lack of quality attendants.

Is it me or is there a decline of pretty attendants? Am I just getting old and thus my tastes become more discerning? Or are they going to more lucrative professions—like KTVs or the escort scene?