The term massage parlor is most often used for those places which provide commercial erotic massage. In areas where prostitution is illegal, massage parlors frequently act as front organizations for prostitution, as do establishments such as saunas and spas. The term massage parlor is typically used as a euphemism for a brothel [ citation needed ] and illegal brothels disguised as massage parlors are common in many countries.
Some massage parlors offer a "happy ending" service β an orgasm sometimes called a "sexual release" given to clients by a masseur or masseuse via masturbation at the end of a massage. Other venues allow clients to masturbate themselves while watching a striptease , a practice that results from the contact restrictions common at strip shows. The term "massage parlour" British English or "massage parlor" American English sometimes refers to a front for prostitution , and in these cases they were popularized in what is known as "the Massage Scandals of ".
In the British Medical Association BMA inquired into the education and practice of massage practitioners in London, and found that prostitution was commonly associated with unskilled workers and debt, often working with forged qualifications. In response, legitimate massage workers formed the Society of Trained Masseuses now known as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy , with an emphasis on high academic standards and a medical model for massage training.
There is a grey area and ambiguity as to when an ordinary massage becomes sexual when it comes to individuals with sexual interests such as tripsophilia, tripsolagnophilia, partialism, autofetishism or organofact, who may feel that the massage of the entire body or any ordinary body parts unrelated to typical erogenous zones are associated with eroticism and sensuality.
In Italy, massage parlours can be fronts for prostitution. Advertisements for massage parlours are listed in newspapers, in some cases offering "Japanese" or "Oriental" massage. Viva Lain, one of Italy's largest chains of massage parlours, was raided by the police in Since the end of the 20th century an expansion in prostitution in Malaysia has resulted in massage parlors being established across the country.
