To ask if Thai massage parlours in the UK....

[cuddingandpustard]

.....are actually brothels??

A work colleague went on holiday to Thailand and mentioned how much she enjoyed the traditional massage she had over there so I mentioned that there's a place near me that does them and why doesn't she go there for another. She laughed and asked didn't I realise that Thai massage parlours are brothels?

Am I completely naive? If I wandered in one Saturday afternoon would they look at me like I was insane? Do people actually visit them for traditional massage or is it really all hand-jobs and pearl necklaces or whatever goes on in brothels?

Enlighten me

There was one around the corner from my old flat and it looked very, very seedy. It was generally accepted that it was One of Those Massage Places, but I can't confirm or deny it for sure!

Why the

All massage parlours in the UK are brothels: not accurate, not racist.
Some massage parlours in the UK, both Thai and others are brothels : probably accurate, not racist
All THAI massage parlours in the UK are definitely brothels: inaccurate AND casually racist.

Why the

Because you are labelling someone you don't even know as racist for saying that a certain type of massage parlour can be a brothel. It was confusion on her friends fault (and not totally incorrect). A lot of massage parlours, be it Thai or another kind, are a cover for brothels, as many pp have confirmed.

No, I'm labelling a comment as casually racist, because it was, as shown above.
She was totally incorrect. She labelled ALL thai masseuses as prostitutes, and thought that was funny. If you were a thai masseuse and not a prostitute, I'm pretty sure you'd see the racism.

Winter You do realise that 'Thai' in this instance describes the style of massage, rather than the nationality of the masseur, don't you?

If someone declared that all Swedish massage parlours were brothels, would you accuse them of racism or simple ignorance?

A Thai or Swedish massage can be performed by anyone.

My friend advertises her husband's Thai massage therapies on her FB page.

Now wondering if they're swingers

Am reminded of a story of a gentleman in a massage parlour, who turned over onto his back, revealing he was in a state of considerable arousal. The massage operative asked whether he would like a wank, to which he replied "ooh that would be lovely".
The masseuse then left the room.
10 minutes later she returned and asked if he had finished.

I've been to a Thai massage parlour. They are usually open very long hours. Thai massage is great, involves stretching moves as well as the more trad massage treatments.

The one I went to was a professional set up and the treatment room had a notice saying the service offered was therapeutic massage only and any clients behaving inappropriately would be asked to leave.

Winter You do realise that 'Thai' in this instance describes the style of massage, rather than the nationality of the masseur, don't you?

A large amount of the women doing Thai massages are actually Thai though. OP says traditional Thai massage which is not often offered by western massage therapists, and clearly they are distinguishing also between clinical style places with highly trained western massage therapist, and the, as they call them, Thai massage parlours

Disingenuous and naive to suggest otherwise.

Disingenuous and naive to suggest otherwise.

Really? You've shown yourself to be quite naive/ill informed on this subject if you think traditional Thai massage is not often offered by western massage therapists.

Perhaps it's an area thing but if you Google the London area, you'll see literally tons of Thai massage courses on offer.

Almost every single massage service here, offers Thai, Reiki and Swedish massage - regardless of where the masseuse originates from.

So 'disingenuous and naive' are two words better suited to your way of thinking on this thread....which of course could be area dependant

Nitpicking now I think winter.

Never thought for a second a Thai Massage place would be anything other than a bona fide massage therapist. However "massage parlour" always makes me think it's a front for other goings on...

I had a Thai massage a few years back and it was brilliant. I felt completely relaxed but invigorated. Best way to describe it is "opened up" - all the stretching really seemed to unlock muscles and joints. For the next two days I had absolutely no appetite and couldn't drink enough water.

I'd love to have another one but just recovering from frozen shoulder and not sure it would be wise.

Ok, I'll take that on the chin. I could easily be wrong. I still think there was an implied racist element to the original comment though. It was prompted by a trip to Thailand and only Thai massage was specified as indicating a brothel.
I'm confident in my assessment but I'll think about your comments

Ironically Thai massage is traditionally done fully clothed

So maybe the real distinction is between the words 'parlour' and 'therapist'

I don't know but I really would recommend the OP phones in advance

I lived in Thailand for a while a few years ago. I never felt so good as when I regularly paid a woman to walk up and down my spine (amongst other things).

Just the term 'massage parlour' makes me think brothel, regardless of any nationality proceeding it!

If I wanted a massage I'd go to a beauty salon.

In our conversation we were talking about the places that are (where we live) mainly above other shops so quite discreet and they'll have a sign and a phone number but no other sort of advertising. I've never seen somewhere locally that is advertised solely as 'massage', thai or otherwise that has, say, a shop front that you can see in with a reception etc. I guess the answer is to ring before I turn up

I used to be a massage therapist (definitely just massage though!) and when I did my training my teacher devoted a whole lesson to teaching us all how NOT to be mistaken for a prostitute. It was really interesting to learn all the code words/phrases. Real massage is always given by a therapist rather than a masseur/masseuse. 'Massage parlour' indicates brothel so places that only offer massage are often called treatment rooms or natural health centres. We were also told to only advertise as offering sports massage therapy as apparently 'sports massage' is sometimes used as code for s&m stuff!

Real massage is always given by a therapist rather than a masseur/masseuse.

If your teacher told you this as some kind of fact they did you a disservice. Lots of reputable massage therapists call themselves masseur/masseuse. It's correct terminology and should never be taken as meaning they are hookers!

I manage a commercial property portfolio. Currently 3 of my tenants are massage parlours. And I really wonder about them. 1 is legit (I think). Another is probably a brothel and the third I really don't know. I have wondered about their business model, who their customers are. But they pay their rent and cause no problems. In the years I've worked in property we've occasionally had police close down tenants, for brothels, or human trafficking or money laundering. With the best reference checks in the world - if you have a big portfolio, then occasionally you'll get a dodgy tenant.

In our conversation we were talking about the places that are (where we live) mainly above other shops so quite discreet and they'll have a sign and a phone number but no other sort of advertising. I've never seen somewhere locally that is advertised solely as 'massage', thai or otherwise that has, say, a shop front that you can see in with a reception etc. I guess the answer is to ring before I turn up

. Really?! You're gonna call up to ask if they are offering genuine massages or if they are prostitutes?!

The way I think about it is if a massage parlour is open late into the evening then it is probably dodgy.

Poly if you think at least one is a brothel and you've had previous experience of tenants being involved in human trafficking or money laundering, does it not occur to you it might be a good idea to find out?

I couldn't live with myself if I thought something I owned was being used to exploit people and I'd turned a blind eye. All that is needed for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing, etc etc.

Even if you're not bothered about that, it might be worth investigating for pure self-interest, given that the new immigration laws make landlords responsible if there are undocumented migrants in a property.

The question is how to get evidence good enough for court.

Ha no not to ask if they have prostitutes. To ask what treatments they offer/prices/scope it out. I'd rather scope it out on the phone than in person. Or maybe I'll just buy a hand held massager for personal use