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.
Alternatively, the massages at certain massage parlors may have a "happy ending", meaning that the massage ends with the client receiving an orgasm "sexual release" via masturbation by the massage provider. In addition to a "happy ending" service, given the restrictions on contact imposed upon most striptease venues, some erotic massage venues offer a service where the client can masturbate him or herself while watching a performer perform a striptease.
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.
