# Am I Being Naive about Masseuses **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901 "2004-06-30T16:32:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jamlad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@Jamlad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamlad)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/1 "2004-06-30T16:32:27Z")
I think this is frivolous so I will post in MPSIMS. I had a conversation with my SO last night about Masseuses. She maintains that almost all employees in this industry will offer additional manual services if the comfort has been established. Now I am fully aware of the establishments that offer the “rub&tug” option but I think that the majority of registered massage therapists will only do legitimate work. I have a massage therapist and I am sure I would be kicked to the street if I requested additional relief. My SO disagrees, she says that given the right circumstances things could materialize. I am being naive in thinking that most of the business is legit? I she too jaded by her past sex industry work? Will reality TV replace the one hour drama? I need clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/2 "2004-06-30T16:37:03Z")
No, yes, and no. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/3 "2004-06-30T16:40:25Z")
IMHO, the vast majority of massage therapists are legitimate professionals who would not indulge a client/patient in any sexual activity. And I’m speaking as a physician who has referred patients for both physical and massage therapists. Now tell us more about your SO’s past history in the sex industry biz! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/4 "2004-06-30T16:51:23Z")
> [@Jamlad](#): > > I she too jaded by her past sex industry work? Cite? Photos? IANA Massage Therapist, but I know two professional MTs very well. They do not ever even entertain the idea that they might be called upon to perform extraneous services. Nor have they have never been asked to do so. Nor would they do so if called upon. In fact, it is their professional obligation to notify the authorities if such a situation arose. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/5 "2004-06-30T17:06:10Z")
I know of one fellow who obtained “extra services” after his massge for a measly $100. But this was a not-terrribly-seedy, not-terribly-legit storefront operation offering Oriental Massage. I think that the masseuse at the health club or chiropractor or what have you would not be so quick to make a buck. Years ago, my wife went to a massage center that opened near her employer, I forget the name, but it was also some kind kind asian/oriental “specialty massage”. She waited in the quiet, empty reception room for a few minutes until a young asian woman came to see her and informed that they really didn’t cater to women. I’m not sure what that means. In summary, any store front kind of massage parlor would be suspicious to me, but I would have no suspicions whatsoever regarding the licensed/registered massage therapist at the health club etc. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/6 "2004-06-30T18:46:37Z")
Where are THOSE kinds of massage parlors?! :eek: Go ahead and call me a sicko, but the concept of a massage and ‘a little extra’ sounds rather pleasant. It would certainly seem more pleasant than just straight-up prostitution. Some other posters mentioned that some clients get so, uh, ‘aroused’ by the massage itself they can be prone to leaving behind a ‘wet spot’ :eek: Damn, that must be one HELL of a massage! _Is in dire need of orgasmic massage_ ---
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/7 "2004-06-30T19:09:14Z")
I once knew a male masage therapist for whom sleeping with his female clients was all but par for the course. More than that they would buy him gifts (at times rather expensive), and he would shack up with one if he needed a place to stay – sometimes for months, in return for favors of course. Yes, he was basically a prostitute, but his massage business was legitimate medical therapy – no “special w/ happy ending” type place. So, yes, some do go the extra mile. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/8 "2004-06-30T19:10:57Z")
I have an ex-BF who is a licensed professional massage therapist with 20+ years of experience. Never in a zillion years would he have done anything like that, nor would any of his colleagues or students who I met. (Nor his mom, who was grandfathered in even without any formal training because she’d been working in the field for so many years.) In Chicago, anyway, you’re supposed to have a city license to provide massage services, for which you need to show proof that you have completed an accredited educational program and that you have tested negative for syphillis, of all things. (Although he did have clients offer, surprisingly, at one _very_ expensive downtown Chicago hotel where he used to do the occasional “housecall” after their health club was closed – apparently his predecessor had indeed offered those services on occasion, and indeed was fired for that, but his “regulars” assumed his successor would provide the same services. Eeeew! He quit that job after the third time he was propositioned.) ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/9 "2004-06-30T19:16:33Z")
Update on massage licensing in Illinois - apparently it will soon be state law, covered by the Dept. of Professional Regulation: [http://www.amta-il.org/licensing.htm](http://www.amta-il.org/licensing.htm) ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/10 "2004-06-30T19:59:03Z")
Your SO is wrong. A good friend of mine is a massage therapist and recently had a client removed from the spa where she works for waving his semi-erect penis at her and suggesting she work for her tip. He’s blackballed from that spa, and the owner is making a few unofficial calls to other spas to let them know he’s a troublemaker. Legitimate massage therapists are insulted by the insinuation that they are available for sexual services of any type, and most expect their clients to have some physical modesty (i.e., turn _away_ from them when turning over so as not to flash them). ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/11 "2004-06-30T20:35:25Z")
And yet the local free newspaper has two or three pages of ads in the back for massage most of them accompanied by a picture of a very pretty/handsome young woman or man. I thought about studying Massage Therapy at one time and know what it takes to go through the schooling and pass the tests to get certified. I feel sorry for the legit. MTs out there who did the work only to be confused by the likes of those offering extras. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/12 "2004-06-30T20:49:11Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > And yet the local free newspaper has two or three pages of ads in the back for massage most of them accompanied by a picture of a very pretty/handsome young woman or man. But the businesses that advertise “Outcall/Incall Massage/Escort Service” don’t really provide those services; they’re FRONTS. If you go to a “massage parlor,” you’ll get a back rub and a gentle suggestion that more is available for a fee. Or a not-so-gentle suggestion, depending on the “masseuse’s” risk tolerance. This is why legitimate massage therapists go to much trouble to call their places of business “studios” or “spas” and not “parlors,” and to advertise themselves as “therapists” and not “masseuses.” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/13 "2004-06-30T21:01:01Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > And yet the local free newspaper has two or three pages of ads in the back for massage most of them accompanied by a picture of a very pretty/handsome young woman or man. Yeah, there are services that offer erotic massage, and there are services that offer MASSAGE, period. In fact, the local weeklies all have separate sections in their classifieds: one for regular massage (one of the papers has a little slogan at the top saying “This section includes only practitioners of therapeutic massage”), with the erotic massage section being included among other lines of sex work at the end of the classifieds. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/14 "2004-06-30T21:08:48Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > In fact, it is their professional obligation to notify the authorities if such a situation arose. In fact, [a prostitution ring near Seattle](http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=prostitution18e&date=20040618) was brought down because legitimate massage therapists did notify the authorities about requests for non-massage activities. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/15 "2004-07-01T00:23:57Z")
I get a massage about once a month from a married woman with kids. I get sex from a married woman with kids (my wife) much more than that. While I’ve begged my wife for a massage as part of foreplay, I haven’t a clue how I would approach my massage therapist for sex as afterplay to a massage. Many Oriental “Massage” Parlors lie just outside the Colorado Springs city limits. I’ve always assumed they were fronts, and I know that some get busted. Massage Therapists are not sex workers. I’m pretty good friends with mine, and I think she would be disgusted at the thought of anything sexual with most of her clients. (She sees _waaay_ too much of them, and I don’t mean too many visits. 😉 ) Many are the wrong gender. (I’d like to think that I fall under the “that would be wrong” category, not the “ewww!” category.) Many of my friends are athletes, and get the occasional massage. I’ve also referred many of my coworkers to my massage therapist. I don’t know of any that received, or asked for, a “happy ending”. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/16 "2004-07-01T00:33:41Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Where are THOSE kinds of massage parlors?! :eek: You’re in San Jose California, dude. Those kind of places are as common as Starbucks in your town. Haj ---
**Author:** ![GillianBoardman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GillianBoardman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GillianBoardman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/17 "2004-07-01T00:48:13Z")
I’m not a massage therapist, but my sister is, and I work at her spa. We would call the police immediately. If you call us, and even sound like this is what you are looking for, we hang up. Call back, and we have the call traced. Yes, there are places like that that call themselves spa’s, there was a sting in this area that closed them all down. We are relieved! ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/18 "2004-07-01T02:10:13Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > And I’m speaking as a physician who has referred patients for both physical and massage therapists. Let me add some punctuation: And I’m speaking as a “physician” who has referred “patients” for both physical and massage “therapists.” Ain’t quotes grand? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/19 "2004-07-01T02:10:57Z")
We have a word for the type of person who does “happy endings”. We call them prostitutes. If a client were to ever ask me for anything “extra”, I would tip the table over before going to inform the spa owner. Here in Nevada, we have an interesting situation. MT’s are working for having statewide licensing for MT’s because of the convoluted situation with licensing in various counties and municipalities. In Clark County, there are differences in licensing requirements between the City of Las Vegas, unincorporated Clark County, North Las Vegas and Henderson. About a year and a half ago, we missed getting statewide licensing by one vote. We’ll be trying again next legislative session. Ironically, it was the prostitutes lobby that got it shot down for us- the legal brothels were afraid that if licensing for MT’s was statewide, massage therapists would cut into their business. :rolleyes: In Vegas, it’s pretty easy to know where to go for the “happy endings”. Just draw a lind down the center of Sahara Avenue. North of Sahara, you’re in the City of Las Vegas, and MT’s must be licensed whethere they’re independent or employees of an establishment, which cuts way down on the number of prostututes operating under cover as “massage therapists”. South of Sahara, you’re in unincorporated Clark County, where if a MT is an employee of an establishment, they only have to have a work card, and can operate under the establishment’s licenses. Oh, and then there’s the Billboard. One of the South of Sahara establishments has a billboard along I-95 near the Rainbow Curve which features an attractive Asian woman, her breasts covered only by her long hair, and a phone number that ends in “6969”. I’m surprised that the PTB haven’t made them take it down, it’s so obviously an advertisement for a house of prostitution. We hate it, we just hate it. Oh, and **Incubus** , if you’re ever in Vegas, don’t call me. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901/20 "2004-07-01T02:24:41Z")
Here in the Twin Cities, we have several locations of Sister Rosalind Gefre’s Schools of Massage. Yep, Sister Rosalind, the massaging nun. I suspect the number of “happy endings” there is really, really low. [http://www.sisterrosalind.org/](http://www.sisterrosalind.org/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-naive-about-masseuses/252901.md?page=2)