"Once, as I was returning home from work in early 2020, I squatted in a corner of the subway car and the pain meant I could barely stand up or exit easily. At the time, I felt like I was weak all over," he said.

"Also, my neck problems meant I could not sleep well, which left me exhausted."

Chen discovered the massage hospital while browsing a website, and decided to give it a go, even though previous treatment he had received in other hospitals hadn't helped much.

"I was like a drowning man clutching at a straw. I didn't expect the hospital to totally solve my problem," he said.

The first time he went to the hospital, he was in so much pain that he didn't want to talk, and just did everything the doctor told him. After the diagnostic process had been completed, he received acupuncture, massage and other treatments, which took nearly three hours.