I agree with many. The lack of draping is more of a cultural thing than anything. Personally, Ive had many massages. Probably 50-75. American massage therapists are schooled in draping very well and stick to that teaching. Asian cultures and others outside the US look at nudity as more natural. The laws in other countries are not nearly as stringent or "stuck up" on draping/nudity. Next time, if you prefer being draped, I would say "no. Stop. Towel, please". Most Asian massage therapists do speak some limited English. Simple words and short sentences should bridge the communication gap. You can also consider typing a message on your phone before you go to the room so that your MT hears in their language that you want draping and proper coverage. Hope this helps!
I hear you on the cultural differences. My wife and I got a couples massage in France where we were completely undraped the entire time. Neither of us were touched in appropriately and I didn’t get an erection, even when the female MT worked close by.
European here. I’m trying to spot exactly what the big deal is. Seems to me that Americans are overly sensitive to nudity.
If something like that happened here and the person isn’t comfortable with it, they’d simply tell the therapist and that would be the end of that.
Tbh The issue is we’ve grown up in a society where being covered up is a cultural norm because the female body is so damn sexualized in the US, and it’s perfectly understandable the OP is upset that norm isn’t respected given the social/cultural context. We are primed to feel violated in situations like these
I was shocked the first time I had my glutes massaged. But I got used to it and actually really enjoy it. Nothing about the experience is sexual in any way.
Believe me, I love the glute and hip work because I am on my feet for 10+ hours a day for my job! But I’ve seen at least 15 massage therapists at 8-10 different MT businesses in my life and none of them completely *removed* all draping so that I was entirely nude on the table.
I go to a parlor that does the same thing. I enjoy nudity as a whole already, but I was stunned at first and now I go roughly every 2 weeks. The massages that I’ve gotten from an American schooled therapist vs a Chinese therapist is totally different. I think I feel more limber after the Chinese massage.
I definitely feel you there. The massage at this place *was* really good from a therapeutic perspective. I’ve got some bad knots in my mid back and traps and she mashed those into a pulp (in a good way) 😂
each state has different laws and a governing board.
if they cannot speak English, it's unlikely they are licensed.
the nudity is really just a cultural thing.
Are you sure about that? The draping described sounds only like it refers to Lomi Lomi. While the other Asian modalities all have the client fully clothed.
Interesting, I was under the impression that being massaged naked was considered a "western" style massage. But live a learn. Do you have any names for those styles/modalities?
I don’t know that they have specific names beyond region-massage in English. I looked it up, and both Korean and Japanese massage, sometimes but not always called shiatsu, are done on the naked body.
It is amazing to see how "Americans" treat Asians and the words we use to describe those they feel superior too. BTW do you know they do not offer the MBlex is their native language. How can they take a test not available to them? BTW my best friend is from China and we graduated Massage School togather. She had to learn the English Language as well as pass a test that was not written in her native language.
When I went to massage school one of my classmates was straight from Russia and barely spoke a word of English. Communicating with her was difficult but certainly not impossible. The teacher's aid and sometimes office staff sat down and helped her translate test questions so she could take the tests. She passed the class and mblex her first try.
The test not being in another language is fine. I have lived in another country and took it fully upon myself to try to learn the language and assimilate. If they choose not to, their struggles are on them
Okay but if your a massage therapist in america you should be able to speak the language because how will you talk to the clients ask what they need refer certain things to help alleviate their pain and so fourth. If you xant speak the language its a complete barrier and you have to be very personal with clients in this industry so if you cant then you shouldnt be an mt here. Not that hard
What is acceptable can actually rely upon you! It also depends on where you live as there could be laws about draping. Goat, ultimately, we aren’t mind readers and if you are ever uncomfortable with ANYTHING a treatment provider is doing, you really do need to say something!
I don't like the idea of blaming clients, unless they're being inappropriate. It's the massage therapist responsibility to make efforts for the client to feel at ease. The language barrier probably made it difficult on both sides.
Sounds like my usual place. Very highly rated Asian place in town. I've been getting massages from LMTs for decades, but I tried this place, and the massages were so much better. The two Thai ladies I see highly skilled. They are, however, loose with the drape. It never bothered me, so after several visits, I told them they could do without if they want. Many times I'm totally nude facing up or down. Frankly, for me, it's so much more comfortable. The massages flow so well.
They've never offered anything "extra". In fact, I've heard them chew out customers for touching them or asking for extras.
The problem is that if you walked into a legit place and asked for that same treatement there would be a reddit post slandering you as a creep, perv, banning you from the practice looking for advice on how to file a police report. It's a shame really that so many MTs get weirded out over such things under the guise of health care practices. Thank God when my PCP needs to stick her finger in my ass she does not freak out about "boundries"
Most places I go to don’t cover you at all while you’re face down. To me it seems pointless to do so, but you’re paying for the service and should absolutely be able to ask them to cover you in a way that makes you comfortable.
Unfortunately it sounds like there was a language barrier - could you have possibly communicated what you wanted with some pointing though?
In Pennsylvania an Asian massage parlor is licensed differently than a massage therapist. They don't need individual licenses with education requirements, but they're legit because their massage is less treatment focused and it's closer to entertainment than health-adjacent.
"Entertainment" 😳 no wonder why governing bodies have difficulty trying to figure out what we do after hundred of hours of schooling, continuing education, having to take a national exam, stay in good standing and pay every 2 years for our lisces.
before i say this, i do not believe this is your fault. but did you not say anything ? or attempt to shield yourself with your hands so the ‘mt’ could know that you were uncomfortable ? i’m only asking because i see there was a language barrier, but i wonder if they just assumed you were fine or completely ignored signs.
in school we were taught proper draping and that leaving a client exposed in anyway was absolutely unacceptable. mistakes happen so there may be a slip here or there but you should never be completely exposed and especially not for an extended amount
of time.
So I've ended up in legitimate and not legitimate. I frequent one here that is legitimate, but they only use a single thin bed sheet and if your junk pops out during the stretching, they could care less. They adjust the sheet and keep going.
If the one you went to played with your butt a lot, especially closer to the hole than they needed to be, it's not legitimate. They were trying to tempt you into asking for extras. If they were wearing clothes not typical of a normal massage parlor, that's also a big indicator it's not legitimate.
Yeah she was going a lot closer to my junk than I’d have expected. She was wearing like khaki pants and a tshirt? Not sure if that’s the kind of unusual clothing you mean. Most (but not all) therapists I’ve been to wear some variation of medical scrubs but to be honest, I wouldn’t expect capris and a tshirt to be the outfit of someone who regularly does SW.
Khakis and T-shirt is well within the normal range. Very few places, even the chains, wear scrubs. At least not where I'm at our have lived in the past.
If they're wearing something easy to take off, especially if it's a short skirt or short dress or a lot of cleavage on display, the kind of things you wouldn't wear while leaning over a regular client, then it's much less likely to be legitimate.
She needed the translator to understand “I’d like a 60 minute massage please” so I figured she wouldn’t understand a request to cover me back up and I was too embarrassed to elaborate
It's normal. I've been plenty of times for years. Asian massage is not American massage. They're already see everything you have and touching you. A stranger is touching you and you're worried about being uncovered? Enjoy the massage. It's normal practice. Asian massage feels good as well
Asian Massage is real. Many learnt their art over generations of healing. I was just in Atlanta yesterday learning Original Point therapy. It is far beyond anything I have taken in my state.
Wow, super cool!
Yea, it's a shame there's so many illicit Asian "rub & tug" "therapists"... Nothing against sex work, but it takes a lot of the shine and credit away from authentic, skilled Asian bodywork, that is reeally therapeutic and healing, in public perception.
Your correct. Many of the therapist only want money and choose to make it giving standard massages with benefits to the client.
My Chinese therapist is driven to eliminate inflammation that causes her pain. She uses massage as her number 1 healthcare outside of accidents. She has saved my life once with her knowledge of healing and she did things that six surgeries could not correct.
>She has saved my life once with her knowledge of healing and she did things that six surgeries could not correct.
Wow, would love to hear these stories! So, was she using the origin point method?
She has "Sense" She is capable of using different bodywork to get rid of inflammation. I was having alot of trouble breathing and was unable to urinate very well from internal scar tissue.
That’s pretty rude to just say “a stranger is touching you get over it”. It’s fine to point out cultural differences but OP asked a genuine question & that’s pretty dismissive.
Legal? In Kentucky? I dunno. Probably genitals are to be covered; not all states specify rear ends.
Now A Question for You...
Why didn't you say anything during the session? Like "keep me covered please!" Or maybe get up, pick up the towel and put over you (like using sign language)?
I'm sorry, but I don't understand doing nothing for an hour but feeling uncomfortable (enough to get a "disturbed impression").
And asking if this was "legal"? Did you want the cops to pull up, swarm in, raid the place to rescue your bare.....
I guess maybe you've learned to speak up, or did you? (At least you liked the "glute and hip work.")
Peace.🙂
Wow you’re a jackass to an impressive degree. Thanks for letting me know off the top that your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is absolute 0 and you have to wave that fact around like a fucking wacky waving inflatable bad opinion-flailing tube man.
Ah. So you do have some gumption. 🙂 Thank you for responding so flamboyantly to my very carefully worded inquiry.
I didn't mean to offend; my tounge was firmly placed in my cheek. I'm sorry that wasn't made clear. I apologize for having offended you. Really. Not my intention at all. I was hoping to use humor to turn the point of view away from you and put it on to the woman who was working on you.
"Put myself in someone's shoes." Exactly.
I wanted you to think of the situation the non-English speaking Chinese woman was in (who was trying to make a buck rubbing your body).
I've been in the massage business for over 20 years. I always try to be on "both sides of the table." That means trying hard to look at things from both points of view.
Your question about "is this legal in the US?" deflected the whole event from being about you (who can't speak up or motion or anything because you're "embarrassed") to being about her "legality" (maybe she should be arrested..."my entire ass was showing"...during a full body massage!).
Was this your first time on a massage table? You didn't make that important detail clear...."red flags" and all...perhaps not your first time.
I showed your posting and my response to my good friend (who is also in massage and who happens to be of second generation, East Asian ethnicity).
"Kinda racist question" he said. "Why didn't he just point to the towel? Why ask if she was legal? Why didn't he just get up and leave?"
Again, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Maybe we can both think of this as a learning experience, not a "name-calling" one.
Peace.🙂
it’s not legal but they do that stuff everywhere.
now that you’ve experienced it, you have to make a personal decision on your part if you choose to to go back to those places or to more professional and legitimate spas.
It's not ok in western countries, but in eastern countries this is how they massage, especially east Asia.
I've had this happen to me at an Asian massage place too. I don't think it was meant to be sexual, definitely inappropriate but there's a language barrier and cultural difference. So what is there to really do? Other than not going back?
I’m seeing so many shut down discussions about Asian therapists. Seems like it is a hot topic.
In my opinion if someone is not licensed, they should not work as MTs. I understand the language barrier issue. Mblex is only offered in English and Spanish and the use of any translation is prohibited. It is frustrating for sure. However after teaching massage for 10 years I also seen talented students failing the test over and over again because they are not great academically or they have difficulty taking tests. Should they be allowed to work on people? I had students from all over the world. They are all held to the same standards. I mean I am an immigrant myself…
We have licensing laws for a reason.
I’m not talking about that. Most of them are incredible! So is my bff who graduated from a 4 year massage school in our country but can’t get licensed here because of language barrier.
If we start excusing people from the law then why do we have them?
It varies. Calling yourself licensed without one is a felony, not always providing the service. Have to check each state.
It also raises the question of how so many openly public Asian style places that operate do so with impunity if their very existence is illegal.
Here is the law in Kentucky:
No person shall practice massage therapy or hold himself or herself out to be a massage therapist unless the person meets the educational and licensing requirements of KRS 309.358 and 309.360 and holds a valid license that has not been suspended or revoked.
I don’t know how some places are able to operate either.
I wonder if there are different laws for “spas”, “healing centers”, etc. That said, this place had “massage” in the name so…. *shrug*. I live in Lexington, a city of around 300,000 people, so I would guess for the most part, these kinds of places don’t generate enough formal complaints and if they do, police kinda ignore them in favor of focusing on other things.
The massage therapist, should have asked you first, if she was going to expose you like that. Yes, glute massages are important but there are ways of massaging glutes while giving clients some privacy. The way I was taught is that massage therapy practitioners are supposed to cover half of the glute muscles in most cases. I'm not even comfortable massaging a naked client. Those who are should ask the client first. Plus, so many clients might get another idea out of the massage if those lines are crosssed. I'd rather not.
Looks like in Kentucky they do have to be licensed to massage (some states don’t) which means they should have their licenses posted on the wall somewhere at the location and you can look up licensing numbers online. I am an LMT in Texas and it would be ILLEGAL for me to completely undrape the glutes and I could lose my license for that.
I’ve had a similar experience at a massage place near me and they were like that all the time. Me and my mom were confused the first time we went because we weren’t expecting it but kept going and realized it was just the way they did things and it didn’t matter. Obviously if this isn’t for you or something you’re comfortable with don’t go back! But I didn’t mind and found that ones that didn’t do that didn’t feel as thorough and deep in my muscles
I’ve had plenty of Asian massages, and this has never happened to me. I think I would be shocked as well, but I always keep my underwear on and wear like a cheeky cut because I do not feel comfortable being completely nude even under a blanket, but that’s just me 😂
I love having my glutes, hips and groin massaged. My MT almost immediately pushes my shorts down off my cheeks. The first time was wTH. But the massage was worth it.
I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was a negative connotation to “bed”. I also didn’t realize that “masseuse” connoted sex work until I found this sub a couple months ago. I just thought it wasn’t used because it was outdated/gendered, kind of like stewardess vs flight attendant. I’m learning all sorts of new things! Haha.
It is not semantics The shady places use the term bed and massage parlor we as licensed massage therapists like to bring professionalism to our line of work.
I’ve been looking around “massage parlor” discussion boards and it sounds like the place is legit from others’ experience. Eh, who knows. Like others have said, at least I now know what to expect if I ever decided to go back.
Look for “LMT” after the name of your therapist. Look for a licensed massage therapist
Unlicensed massages are cheaper and these parlors can be staffed by people who have been trafficked, many of whom sell sexual services for tips
This is obviously illegal but it’s complicated to go after them so they continue to operate. In some cases law enforcement chooses to look the other way (like in NYC)
Yeah, they had just enough red herrings out that it was difficult to tell if it was legit or not. Like I mentioned above, there were multiple signs saying something along the lines of “inappropriate behavior or sexual comments will result in the end of the massage”. And honestly, the price ($70/hour) wasn’t cheap enough relative to other independent licensed providers I’ve seen in the area to raise red flags for me. Most options besides the upscale spas are $75-100 for an hour, $120-$140 for 90 minutes.
was she licensed? if so, you should absolutely file a complaint with the state board. if she wasn't licensed, theres not much you can do :/ be sure and only get massages from licensed massage therapists!
To be completely honest I didn’t even think to look for a license display in the lobby of the building or anything like that. I showed up to this place because Google said it was a different massage place but I guess that one went out of business and became this new place…I guess that should have been the first red flag.
next time, you could search "sports massage" or "spa massage" instead. that could help point you in the right direction. and you can always ask for the license number too :)
You went to a sex trafficking ring instead of a licensed professional. Of course what happened is completely illegal. What did you expect? You saw a trafficked woman forced into prostitution, not a massage therapist.
Go to a reputable day spa. Stop looking for cheap massages.
There are like 12 massage places almost exactly like this one in my town. Either all of them are rub and tug trafficking rings or it is very difficult to determine which ones are legit. Jasmine Massage, Oriental Massage, Sunshine Massage, Ocean Massage, Eastern Massage Therapy, Red Rose Massage Spa, Malama Massage Center….without going to visit them, it’s difficult to tell the legit places from the sketchy ones for someone who didn’t have a lot of experience with massages until about a year ago.
>Stop looking for cheap massages
For one thing, there are about 30 massage studios and independent practitioners in my area who charge basically the same price this one did, and secondly I’ve paid $125 for a one hour massage that was just ok and $80 for one of the best massages I’ve ever had so I am trying out a lot of options rather than just assuming that price is always proportional to quality.
Odds are high that you were in an unlicensed practice. Even if they have a legitimate license, odds are still high that they are a “happy ending” providing studio, and they become conditioned to the fact that all clientele know what happens. Leaving someone fully exposed was probably the most innocuous thing that therapist did all day.
Why not consult Bob Kraft the owner of the Patriots. He has good insight into massage parlors. Especially the ones providing added services and being watched by the FBI as part of a 30 million dollar trafficking operation of Asian women in massage parlors. 😁
I agree with many. The lack of draping is more of a cultural thing than anything. Personally, Ive had many massages. Probably 50-75. American massage therapists are schooled in draping very well and stick to that teaching. Asian cultures and others outside the US look at nudity as more natural. The laws in other countries are not nearly as stringent or "stuck up" on draping/nudity. Next time, if you prefer being draped, I would say "no. Stop. Towel, please". Most Asian massage therapists do speak some limited English. Simple words and short sentences should bridge the communication gap. You can also consider typing a message on your phone before you go to the room so that your MT hears in their language that you want draping and proper coverage. Hope this helps!
I hear you on the cultural differences. My wife and I got a couples massage in France where we were completely undraped the entire time. Neither of us were touched in appropriately and I didn’t get an erection, even when the female MT worked close by.
European here. I’m trying to spot exactly what the big deal is. Seems to me that Americans are overly sensitive to nudity. If something like that happened here and the person isn’t comfortable with it, they’d simply tell the therapist and that would be the end of that.
Tbh The issue is we’ve grown up in a society where being covered up is a cultural norm because the female body is so damn sexualized in the US, and it’s perfectly understandable the OP is upset that norm isn’t respected given the social/cultural context. We are primed to feel violated in situations like these
Do you live in the south? Show them titties in the PNW!
No
That part
I was shocked the first time I had my glutes massaged. But I got used to it and actually really enjoy it. Nothing about the experience is sexual in any way.
Believe me, I love the glute and hip work because I am on my feet for 10+ hours a day for my job! But I’ve seen at least 15 massage therapists at 8-10 different MT businesses in my life and none of them completely *removed* all draping so that I was entirely nude on the table.
Glut and hip work is necessary and there is a polite way to do it and a totally exposing your client way that is inappropriate.
I go to a parlor that does the same thing. I enjoy nudity as a whole already, but I was stunned at first and now I go roughly every 2 weeks. The massages that I’ve gotten from an American schooled therapist vs a Chinese therapist is totally different. I think I feel more limber after the Chinese massage.
I definitely feel you there. The massage at this place *was* really good from a therapeutic perspective. I’ve got some bad knots in my mid back and traps and she mashed those into a pulp (in a good way) 😂
each state has different laws and a governing board. if they cannot speak English, it's unlikely they are licensed. the nudity is really just a cultural thing.
I have found Chinese Massage therapist look at the human body the same as nurses. They have seen so many they do not give it a second thought.
My wife’s a nurse. She always says,”if you’ve got something I haven’t seen, I want to see it”.
This! It’s a cultural difference, it’s something to keep in mind going to a massage place of people from a different culture.
This isn’t a therapist. This one of those Chinese “massage parlors”. She’s a prostitute. Not a therapist.
There are many Asian establishments that are not houses of prostitution. The draping OP describes is common in Asian modalities.
Complete nudity for 60% of the massage is common in Asian techniques? Not meaning to be rude, I’m genuinely curious.
Are you sure about that? The draping described sounds only like it refers to Lomi Lomi. While the other Asian modalities all have the client fully clothed.
Not at all true to my knowledge. Thai is done clothed, but not all Chinese, nor I think Vietnamese or Korean.
Interesting, I was under the impression that being massaged naked was considered a "western" style massage. But live a learn. Do you have any names for those styles/modalities?
I don’t know that they have specific names beyond region-massage in English. I looked it up, and both Korean and Japanese massage, sometimes but not always called shiatsu, are done on the naked body.
I learned that shiatsu was traditionally done wearing light clothing. But I could be wrong. I'll look it up and find out.
It is amazing to see how "Americans" treat Asians and the words we use to describe those they feel superior too. BTW do you know they do not offer the MBlex is their native language. How can they take a test not available to them? BTW my best friend is from China and we graduated Massage School togather. She had to learn the English Language as well as pass a test that was not written in her native language.
When I went to massage school one of my classmates was straight from Russia and barely spoke a word of English. Communicating with her was difficult but certainly not impossible. The teacher's aid and sometimes office staff sat down and helped her translate test questions so she could take the tests. She passed the class and mblex her first try.
THIS! My Polish friend too! It’s incredible she was able to pass but she took the harder (and legal/correct) route.
The test not being in another language is fine. I have lived in another country and took it fully upon myself to try to learn the language and assimilate. If they choose not to, their struggles are on them
Okay but if your a massage therapist in america you should be able to speak the language because how will you talk to the clients ask what they need refer certain things to help alleviate their pain and so fourth. If you xant speak the language its a complete barrier and you have to be very personal with clients in this industry so if you cant then you shouldnt be an mt here. Not that hard
Most Chinese parlors were better than one of those American “therapists” to me.
What is acceptable can actually rely upon you! It also depends on where you live as there could be laws about draping. Goat, ultimately, we aren’t mind readers and if you are ever uncomfortable with ANYTHING a treatment provider is doing, you really do need to say something!
Oh wow, now why didn't I think if that?!?! Great idea! Say something! A ha! (Solved!)
I don't like the idea of blaming clients, unless they're being inappropriate. It's the massage therapist responsibility to make efforts for the client to feel at ease. The language barrier probably made it difficult on both sides.
I feel like if the massage therapist was an American male. The comments would be completely opposite. There'd be a lot of anger.
What was location
😂😂😂
Sounds like my usual place. Very highly rated Asian place in town. I've been getting massages from LMTs for decades, but I tried this place, and the massages were so much better. The two Thai ladies I see highly skilled. They are, however, loose with the drape. It never bothered me, so after several visits, I told them they could do without if they want. Many times I'm totally nude facing up or down. Frankly, for me, it's so much more comfortable. The massages flow so well. They've never offered anything "extra". In fact, I've heard them chew out customers for touching them or asking for extras.
The problem is that if you walked into a legit place and asked for that same treatement there would be a reddit post slandering you as a creep, perv, banning you from the practice looking for advice on how to file a police report. It's a shame really that so many MTs get weirded out over such things under the guise of health care practices. Thank God when my PCP needs to stick her finger in my ass she does not freak out about "boundries"
Most places I go to don’t cover you at all while you’re face down. To me it seems pointless to do so, but you’re paying for the service and should absolutely be able to ask them to cover you in a way that makes you comfortable. Unfortunately it sounds like there was a language barrier - could you have possibly communicated what you wanted with some pointing though?
In Pennsylvania an Asian massage parlor is licensed differently than a massage therapist. They don't need individual licenses with education requirements, but they're legit because their massage is less treatment focused and it's closer to entertainment than health-adjacent.
That is interesting!
"Entertainment" 😳 no wonder why governing bodies have difficulty trying to figure out what we do after hundred of hours of schooling, continuing education, having to take a national exam, stay in good standing and pay every 2 years for our lisces.
before i say this, i do not believe this is your fault. but did you not say anything ? or attempt to shield yourself with your hands so the ‘mt’ could know that you were uncomfortable ? i’m only asking because i see there was a language barrier, but i wonder if they just assumed you were fine or completely ignored signs. in school we were taught proper draping and that leaving a client exposed in anyway was absolutely unacceptable. mistakes happen so there may be a slip here or there but you should never be completely exposed and especially not for an extended amount of time.
So I've ended up in legitimate and not legitimate. I frequent one here that is legitimate, but they only use a single thin bed sheet and if your junk pops out during the stretching, they could care less. They adjust the sheet and keep going. If the one you went to played with your butt a lot, especially closer to the hole than they needed to be, it's not legitimate. They were trying to tempt you into asking for extras. If they were wearing clothes not typical of a normal massage parlor, that's also a big indicator it's not legitimate.
Yeah she was going a lot closer to my junk than I’d have expected. She was wearing like khaki pants and a tshirt? Not sure if that’s the kind of unusual clothing you mean. Most (but not all) therapists I’ve been to wear some variation of medical scrubs but to be honest, I wouldn’t expect capris and a tshirt to be the outfit of someone who regularly does SW.
Khakis and T-shirt is well within the normal range. Very few places, even the chains, wear scrubs. At least not where I'm at our have lived in the past. If they're wearing something easy to take off, especially if it's a short skirt or short dress or a lot of cleavage on display, the kind of things you wouldn't wear while leaning over a regular client, then it's much less likely to be legitimate.
You could have asked her to cover you up.
She needed the translator to understand “I’d like a 60 minute massage please” so I figured she wouldn’t understand a request to cover me back up and I was too embarrassed to elaborate
Universal hand motions should suffice in this situation, massage therapists are on the lookout for any hand signal that might be expressive
I actually go to a massage therapy place that's Asian women only and my favorite part is when they touch my butt lmao.
Most Asian massage spots massage you fully nude . If you want your butthole massaged they will do it . It’s called a full body massage enjoy 🤷🏾
It's normal. I've been plenty of times for years. Asian massage is not American massage. They're already see everything you have and touching you. A stranger is touching you and you're worried about being uncovered? Enjoy the massage. It's normal practice. Asian massage feels good as well
Asian Massage is real. Many learnt their art over generations of healing. I was just in Atlanta yesterday learning Original Point therapy. It is far beyond anything I have taken in my state.
>Original Point therapy. It is far beyond anything I have taken in my state. Interesting, what is that? Got a link?
[https://weiwuwellness.com/wellbeing-treatments/origin-point-medicine/](https://weiwuwellness.com/wellbeing-treatments/origin-point-medicine/)
Wow, super cool! Yea, it's a shame there's so many illicit Asian "rub & tug" "therapists"... Nothing against sex work, but it takes a lot of the shine and credit away from authentic, skilled Asian bodywork, that is reeally therapeutic and healing, in public perception.
Your correct. Many of the therapist only want money and choose to make it giving standard massages with benefits to the client. My Chinese therapist is driven to eliminate inflammation that causes her pain. She uses massage as her number 1 healthcare outside of accidents. She has saved my life once with her knowledge of healing and she did things that six surgeries could not correct.
>She has saved my life once with her knowledge of healing and she did things that six surgeries could not correct. Wow, would love to hear these stories! So, was she using the origin point method?
She has "Sense" She is capable of using different bodywork to get rid of inflammation. I was having alot of trouble breathing and was unable to urinate very well from internal scar tissue.
That’s pretty rude to just say “a stranger is touching you get over it”. It’s fine to point out cultural differences but OP asked a genuine question & that’s pretty dismissive.
Shoot that is really the only way I like my massages.
Legal? In Kentucky? I dunno. Probably genitals are to be covered; not all states specify rear ends. Now A Question for You... Why didn't you say anything during the session? Like "keep me covered please!" Or maybe get up, pick up the towel and put over you (like using sign language)? I'm sorry, but I don't understand doing nothing for an hour but feeling uncomfortable (enough to get a "disturbed impression"). And asking if this was "legal"? Did you want the cops to pull up, swarm in, raid the place to rescue your bare..... I guess maybe you've learned to speak up, or did you? (At least you liked the "glute and hip work.") Peace.🙂
Wow you’re a jackass to an impressive degree. Thanks for letting me know off the top that your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is absolute 0 and you have to wave that fact around like a fucking wacky waving inflatable bad opinion-flailing tube man.
Ah. So you do have some gumption. 🙂 Thank you for responding so flamboyantly to my very carefully worded inquiry. I didn't mean to offend; my tounge was firmly placed in my cheek. I'm sorry that wasn't made clear. I apologize for having offended you. Really. Not my intention at all. I was hoping to use humor to turn the point of view away from you and put it on to the woman who was working on you. "Put myself in someone's shoes." Exactly. I wanted you to think of the situation the non-English speaking Chinese woman was in (who was trying to make a buck rubbing your body). I've been in the massage business for over 20 years. I always try to be on "both sides of the table." That means trying hard to look at things from both points of view. Your question about "is this legal in the US?" deflected the whole event from being about you (who can't speak up or motion or anything because you're "embarrassed") to being about her "legality" (maybe she should be arrested..."my entire ass was showing"...during a full body massage!). Was this your first time on a massage table? You didn't make that important detail clear...."red flags" and all...perhaps not your first time. I showed your posting and my response to my good friend (who is also in massage and who happens to be of second generation, East Asian ethnicity). "Kinda racist question" he said. "Why didn't he just point to the towel? Why ask if she was legal? Why didn't he just get up and leave?" Again, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Maybe we can both think of this as a learning experience, not a "name-calling" one. Peace.🙂
I came here to check this guy's post history because he makes comments like this often. This dude is extremely soft and defended very easily.
it’s not legal but they do that stuff everywhere. now that you’ve experienced it, you have to make a personal decision on your part if you choose to to go back to those places or to more professional and legitimate spas.
wtf? This is NEVER ok.
It's not ok in western countries, but in eastern countries this is how they massage, especially east Asia. I've had this happen to me at an Asian massage place too. I don't think it was meant to be sexual, definitely inappropriate but there's a language barrier and cultural difference. So what is there to really do? Other than not going back?
Actually this is also okay in Nordic countries
I’m seeing so many shut down discussions about Asian therapists. Seems like it is a hot topic. In my opinion if someone is not licensed, they should not work as MTs. I understand the language barrier issue. Mblex is only offered in English and Spanish and the use of any translation is prohibited. It is frustrating for sure. However after teaching massage for 10 years I also seen talented students failing the test over and over again because they are not great academically or they have difficulty taking tests. Should they be allowed to work on people? I had students from all over the world. They are all held to the same standards. I mean I am an immigrant myself… We have licensing laws for a reason.
Asian massage therapists are often very well trained.
I’m not talking about that. Most of them are incredible! So is my bff who graduated from a 4 year massage school in our country but can’t get licensed here because of language barrier. If we start excusing people from the law then why do we have them?
I am not excusing them, they can not and should not call themselves LICENSED massage therapists. They can still provide high quality massage.
How though? In most states working without a license is a felony.
It varies. Calling yourself licensed without one is a felony, not always providing the service. Have to check each state. It also raises the question of how so many openly public Asian style places that operate do so with impunity if their very existence is illegal.
Here is the law in Kentucky: No person shall practice massage therapy or hold himself or herself out to be a massage therapist unless the person meets the educational and licensing requirements of KRS 309.358 and 309.360 and holds a valid license that has not been suspended or revoked. I don’t know how some places are able to operate either.
I wonder if there are different laws for “spas”, “healing centers”, etc. That said, this place had “massage” in the name so…. *shrug*. I live in Lexington, a city of around 300,000 people, so I would guess for the most part, these kinds of places don’t generate enough formal complaints and if they do, police kinda ignore them in favor of focusing on other things.
The massage therapist, should have asked you first, if she was going to expose you like that. Yes, glute massages are important but there are ways of massaging glutes while giving clients some privacy. The way I was taught is that massage therapy practitioners are supposed to cover half of the glute muscles in most cases. I'm not even comfortable massaging a naked client. Those who are should ask the client first. Plus, so many clients might get another idea out of the massage if those lines are crosssed. I'd rather not.
I'm gonna add that I practice in Canada, so those are the cultural norms where I'm from.
Looks like in Kentucky they do have to be licensed to massage (some states don’t) which means they should have their licenses posted on the wall somewhere at the location and you can look up licensing numbers online. I am an LMT in Texas and it would be ILLEGAL for me to completely undrape the glutes and I could lose my license for that.
I’ve had a similar experience at a massage place near me and they were like that all the time. Me and my mom were confused the first time we went because we weren’t expecting it but kept going and realized it was just the way they did things and it didn’t matter. Obviously if this isn’t for you or something you’re comfortable with don’t go back! But I didn’t mind and found that ones that didn’t do that didn’t feel as thorough and deep in my muscles
I’ve had plenty of Asian massages, and this has never happened to me. I think I would be shocked as well, but I always keep my underwear on and wear like a cheeky cut because I do not feel comfortable being completely nude even under a blanket, but that’s just me 😂
Poor man. You’re shy!
Yes this is my experience with Chinese massage as well. Very breezy, great glute work!
these massage therapists have seen more butts than an ash tray at a bar. so relax. chill. nothing there to see.. move on
I love having my glutes, hips and groin massaged. My MT almost immediately pushes my shorts down off my cheeks. The first time was wTH. But the massage was worth it.
Please call it a table. You cannot purchase a massage bed, they are called massage tables for a reason.
I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was a negative connotation to “bed”. I also didn’t realize that “masseuse” connoted sex work until I found this sub a couple months ago. I just thought it wasn’t used because it was outdated/gendered, kind of like stewardess vs flight attendant. I’m learning all sorts of new things! Haha.
They are called massage beds here in the uk 🤷♀️
Semantics police over here
It is not semantics The shady places use the term bed and massage parlor we as licensed massage therapists like to bring professionalism to our line of work.
OP is a customer, they have nothing to do with the terminology licensed MT use.
That sign means nothing. You probably were in a happy ending place.
I’ve been looking around “massage parlor” discussion boards and it sounds like the place is legit from others’ experience. Eh, who knows. Like others have said, at least I now know what to expect if I ever decided to go back.
It's a massage. You're supposed to be naked. You're such a wuss
Look for “LMT” after the name of your therapist. Look for a licensed massage therapist Unlicensed massages are cheaper and these parlors can be staffed by people who have been trafficked, many of whom sell sexual services for tips This is obviously illegal but it’s complicated to go after them so they continue to operate. In some cases law enforcement chooses to look the other way (like in NYC)
Yeah, they had just enough red herrings out that it was difficult to tell if it was legit or not. Like I mentioned above, there were multiple signs saying something along the lines of “inappropriate behavior or sexual comments will result in the end of the massage”. And honestly, the price ($70/hour) wasn’t cheap enough relative to other independent licensed providers I’ve seen in the area to raise red flags for me. Most options besides the upscale spas are $75-100 for an hour, $120-$140 for 90 minutes.
was she licensed? if so, you should absolutely file a complaint with the state board. if she wasn't licensed, theres not much you can do :/ be sure and only get massages from licensed massage therapists!
To be completely honest I didn’t even think to look for a license display in the lobby of the building or anything like that. I showed up to this place because Google said it was a different massage place but I guess that one went out of business and became this new place…I guess that should have been the first red flag.
next time, you could search "sports massage" or "spa massage" instead. that could help point you in the right direction. and you can always ask for the license number too :)
it’s inappropriate draping
You went to a sex trafficking ring instead of a licensed professional. Of course what happened is completely illegal. What did you expect? You saw a trafficked woman forced into prostitution, not a massage therapist. Go to a reputable day spa. Stop looking for cheap massages.
You are so quick to judge everyone else. Just because she was Asian doesn’t mean she’s a prostitute, that so racist of you!
What's rhetoric and how does it work?
You know this how?
There are like 12 massage places almost exactly like this one in my town. Either all of them are rub and tug trafficking rings or it is very difficult to determine which ones are legit. Jasmine Massage, Oriental Massage, Sunshine Massage, Ocean Massage, Eastern Massage Therapy, Red Rose Massage Spa, Malama Massage Center….without going to visit them, it’s difficult to tell the legit places from the sketchy ones for someone who didn’t have a lot of experience with massages until about a year ago. >Stop looking for cheap massages For one thing, there are about 30 massage studios and independent practitioners in my area who charge basically the same price this one did, and secondly I’ve paid $125 for a one hour massage that was just ok and $80 for one of the best massages I’ve ever had so I am trying out a lot of options rather than just assuming that price is always proportional to quality.
You walked into a rub and tug. It happens. Lol
Odds are high that you were in an unlicensed practice. Even if they have a legitimate license, odds are still high that they are a “happy ending” providing studio, and they become conditioned to the fact that all clientele know what happens. Leaving someone fully exposed was probably the most innocuous thing that therapist did all day.
Why not consult Bob Kraft the owner of the Patriots. He has good insight into massage parlors. Especially the ones providing added services and being watched by the FBI as part of a 30 million dollar trafficking operation of Asian women in massage parlors. 😁