I know both exist around here, and both are perfectly legal. They’re pretty easy to tell apart, though. If the shop’s business hours are 6pm-5am and they have women standing outside calling people to come in, their massage techniques are probably going to be rudimentary at best.
And IMO, the OP’s SO is way off base.
I studied massage therapy for two semesters, (dropped out in the third and never got the license.)
All the students I talked with found the idea of sexual contact with clients entirely repulsive. In class, we talked about establishing boundaries, screening clients, and how to deal with troublesome people. Most MTs hate the fact that prostitutes use massage as a cover, and go out of their way to establish themselves as legitimate and to maintain a professional reputation.
I saw a segment on 60 Minutes II or some similar program recently. Apparently in some place Chiropractic has become the new front for prostitutes. Organized crime was allegedly paying people with Chiropractic licenses to open shops that they then used to sell sexual services. It had something to do with that as long as the shop was owned with someone who was a licensed Chiropractor then they didn’t actually need to be on premises. They said how much they might make and it was a lot, with multiple storefronts bringing in $1-2k per week.
I might just be evil but I found it funny that legit chiropractors might get solicited now. Maybe Dentists and Psychiatrists are next.
Local free newspaper, my ass. Look in the sports page of many upstanding and respectable daily newspapers (The Washington Post springs to mind) and you’ll find ads for such places.
Are the “front” places always staffed by Asians? If so, why? Just tradition? 
They seem to be primarily, if not exclusively, staffed by Asians- many of them advertise “beautiful Asian women” in the Yellow Pages.
My guess is that in areas with a large immigrant population, there are going to be a lot of women with limited job opportunities struggling to make a living, and a fair number of more established, less-than-scrupulous immigrants willing to exploit them. And of course, being “Asian” or “Oriental” gives them an air of the exotic and mystrious, making their services more appealing.
Legitimate theraputic masseuses will not give the “special” to anyone. The only ones who do it are the ones who masquerade as therapists but are really prostitutes.
Any masseuse who is affiliated with a doctor, chiropractor or such does not fall into the “special” category.
My son’s sister is a masseuse. She won’t take anyone off the street. She’ll only do referrals from her friend, the chiropractor.
clearly, some do, and some don’t.
I have a friend (and I don’t mean a “friend”) who just told me the story of how he went to an asian place, and paid $40 for a massage from a scanitly dressed asian woman.
He couldn’t really figure out the protocol but when he was leaving, one of the women told him, “we do more for a $20 tip.”
So, he went back and got a hand-job for $60.
He went back after that, and, yes, got laid, for $60.
He’d gone to “real” prostitutes for $150.
So, yeah, some of these places are definitely just set up as prostitution (no derision in my tone – i think it should be legal), but naturally, there are lots that are legit.
My guess is a few things:
Willing to work long hours and not complain about never seeing the light of day.
Immigration status may be questionable, so if they complain then they’re out of here.
Harder for the police to infiltrate, particularly away from large metropolitan centers where Korean/Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai/etc is not likely spoken by law enforcement officers.
Of course women from the former Eastern Bloc would fit many of these criteria, so I’d be surprised if some weren’t out there as well. But maybe they’re involved in a different racket. Then it’s just back to tradition.
Massage therapy is regulated in Ontairo (see Massage Therapy Act, 1991 and Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991).
Around here a lot of Registered Massage Therapists also work in partnership with chiropractors. It’s very common to have an RMT and chiropractor share a clinic. The word “clinic” is the big indicator – “this is like a doctor’s office”. No one in their right mind would go to one of those clinics and expect anything more than a massage designed to rehabilitate a damaged muscle or provide relief from muscular discomfort.
Many other RMTs around here work in Sport Medecine Clinics with doctors and other physiotherapists. Again, not the place you want to go to look for “aditional services”.
Here in Ontario, RMT must take an educational training program for soft tissue manipulation and joint mobilizations. Graduates of all schools of massage therapy must successfully complete the CMTO exams (College of Massage Therapists of Ontario) if they intend to practice as massage therapists in Ontario – then they can get their RMT designation.
Slight threadjack, and a question for those who are / go to massage therapists.
I’ll be blunt. I think I could really use the services of one, as I have rather recurring back pain in one small (2 square inch) part of my back. Problem is, I’m amazingly overweight and self-conscious about it. I don’t know if that will be a problem for someone getting ‘hands on’ with me. Any advice?
It will not be a problem, you can keep your underwear on when being massaged which may help the self-conscious part, and as long as you have a good shower and scrub before hand, the masseuse(sp?) will have no concerns about your body other than helping ease the pain in your back. Some chinese style massage places will also have herbalist side lines, and may offer you herbal treatment for your weight, but that is theextent to which your weight will be an issue.
In silicon valley, the local papers have two distinct section listing masseuses, one section for people who will helps you cure a stiff back, the other section will help with a stiff something else 
I’m an MT who has practiced in DC & NJ. Seeing as everyone else has answered the “do they or don’t they” question more eloquently than I could, I’ll throw out some additional info. Earning a massage license is difficult. The schooling is intense and thorough. Often, it is expensive as well. Each state in the US and sometimes each county have different licensing requirements. Most states require graduation from an accredited school, passing the National Certification Exam, and paying sometimes exorbitant licensing fees. One of my colleagues paid $800 last year to relicense in DC/MD/VA. That said, there aren’t many licensed MTs in the industry who will perform sexual favors, regardless of the price.
If you are looking for a happy ending massage, newspaper ads will usually include terms like: Oriental, table shower, sensual, tantric, full release, total body, hot Asian chixxxx, masseuse. Yep, “masseuse” is a pretty standard term where I come from for those who perform the yank & thank massage. “Massage therapist” seems to be the preferred term.
Personally, I’m not bothered by the masseuses who offer more “personal” services. We’re in different businesses, and they don’t affect my client base.
Arr Matey!, you may get as undressed as you are comfortable. Since you have lower back pain, your therapist may ask you to lower your underwear to the top of your crack in order to address all the muscle attachments in your lower back. Please don’t miss out on something that may offer you pain relief because of your self-consciousness. We have seen it all, and if there is a therapist out there who is uncomfortable with different body types/colors/scents/health status, he/she wouldn’t last long in the business.
I’ll second that. If someone is too self-conscious to take off their drawers the first time I work on them, after they’ve gotten dressed after the session, I tell them that next time, if they’re comfortable, they really should go commando because it makes it much easier to work the glutes, which can be a big factor in low back pain.
Honestly, the only problem I have with working with an overweight client is potential table height issues, if I don’t know in advance I’m dealing with a larger person. Bigger client means the table needs to be lower so the therapist can get proper leverage and apply the appropriate amount of pressure without straining his/her upper back or shoulders. It might be a good idea to inform your therapist that you are a large person before you go in so she can drop her table a notch or two, or possibly decide to use a mat on the floor.
A couple of years ago, I was absolutely miserable with shoulder pain. It was a knot in my muscle that just wouldn’t relax, and my chiropractor advised me to seek a massage therapist. After calling spas around Pasadena and finding prices of $120 and upward for an hour massage, I dropped into the local Asian massage place around the corner from my apartment.
One hour, $65. Cute asian girl. Parallel bars mounted to the ceiling above the table. :dubious:
But I was in pain. I told them so, and they said they could help. The massage was indeed a relief, and I returned many times for relief. Of shoulder pain. They even sold me a couple of “table shower” upgrades for $15.
Never once was I offered a “happy ending.” Never once was I touched inappropriately. (Cute asian girls did walk up and down my back and legs, though… barefoot of course. And you haven’t experienced pain until someone’s massaged your pectoral muscle… through your armpit.)
Hmm. I think I was gypped. :smack:
Maybe they thought I was a vice cop?
FWIW, I’ve never had a massage where I wasn’t fully clothed–the MTs I’ve gone to don’t use techniques that involve rubbing across the skin, so clothing isn’t much of an issue. The MTs just tell people to wear workout clothes.
On another note, I can’t imagine getting a “finishing” service after one of these pressure-point massages, considering the amount of of pain I’m in by the end 
I’m going to be starting school soon to become a massage therapist! Because I lost my job due to our company being bought out, I am eligible to get a dislocated worker grant and collect unemployment while I’m attending school. I give my wife amatuer massages for her muscle pain, and even before this she encouraged me to learn to do it professionally.
The course takes a year and costs nearly $7000.00. I have to master anatomy, first aid and CPR. I have to learn about dozens of medical conditions that effect the muscles, joints and tendons. I have to take a course devoted entirely to Business Ethics. When I finally get my certificate, I will be able to work in a field where I can earn $30 dollars an hour or more, legitimately.
I would be an idiot to go through all this just as a front to working as a gigalo. A few “special tips” wouldn’t be worth losing my license, my marriage, and possibly even getting jail time.
Not to even mention that people who need a real massage REALLY need a massage.
Lumpy, I hope you’ve checked out your school thoroughly.
I first started with a vo-tech school were one of the instructors was more interested in promoting a Zen-New Age agenda which she obviously did not practice herself than in teaching massage (even had us do some heavy introspection and write our “issues” down on a piece of paper as a homework assignment, then showed us a Bradshaw video and told us to go home and burn the paper. I broke down in class as a result, was sent to the principal’s office, and things went South pretty fast after that.) Also, the instruction was very poor- basically, they fed you the information you would need to pass the national exam, taught you a basic Swedish routine, and sent you on your way. No hands-on in any other modalities such as Shiatsu, myofascial work, sports massage, etc. We did have two days of hands-on aromatherapy -which is legitimate, BTW, but you have to use really good high-quality essential oils, and be very careful about what you use as a carrier- but she was mostly interested in telling us how much extra you could charge for it. I dropped out after two months of a seven month program.
Cost of tuition? $10,000 for the program. From what I’ve heard, this is actually very typical of massage schools since the early 1990’s, when the National Certification Exam was instututed. There are a few good schools out there, but they are outnumbered by the bad by probably a ratio of five to one. So I recommend doing your homework before you give them any money, ask about their accreditation, etc.
I ended up going to a community college, just got my certificate (doing massage on the sly to earn some money, of course being very selective about my clients) until I can get my license and get out into the real world.