Bangkok Massage Parlours

A massage parlor is a business where customers can receive a massage. Sometimes the term is synonymous with brothel as the term "massage" may be used as a euphemism for paid sexual favours.

In countries and regions, particularly where brothels are illegal, massage parlours (as well as saunas, spas or similar establishments) may be fronts for places of prostitution. Illegal brothels disguised as massage parlours are common in the US, UK, Canada, South Korea, Philippines and many other countries.

However, not all massage parlors are involved in prostitution.

Thailand

Even though Thailand is rather well-known for its unique spa experience and particularly healthy and non-sexual traditional Thai massage, this section refers to the most mentioned type of massage parlors when thinking of the term in Thailand, Sexual massage.

The internal traffic of Thai females consists mostly of 12-16 year olds from hill tribes of the North/ NorthEast. Most of the internally trafficked girls are sent to closed brothels, which operate under prison-like conditions. Thousands of women from rural Thailand, China, Laos, Burma and Cambodia are sold to brothels in Bangkok or in other countries by "job brokers," who often operate in organized international syndicates. One million women from Burma, southern China, Laos, and Vietnam have been trafficked into Thailand.

In 1996, foreign women made up the majority of prostitutes in 40 sex establishments in 18 border provinces that are brothels masquerading as karaoke bars, restaurants and traditional massage parlours. In some venues, there are no Thai women at all. (Kritaya Archavanitkul, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in Thailand, "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade," Yindee Lertcharoenchok, Mukdawan Sakboon, The Nation, 28 May 1997) In mid-1997 an increasing number of young girls, more than 60% of which are under 18 years old, were entering Thailand through Mae Sai checkpoint into massage parlors, brothels etc.

50% of the prostituted women in Chiang Rai are Burmese. Thousands of indigenous Burmese women from Shan State in the north and from Keng Tung in Eastern Burma have been sold into brothels in Bangkok and throughout Thailand.

United Kingdom

In the UK, prostitution itself (exchanging sex for money or goods) is legal, but associated activities such as kerb crawling, soliciting in public, engaging in sex in public or operating a brothel are outlawed (see Prostitution in the United Kingdom). Many illegal brothels are disguised as "massage parlours".

In 2005 it was reported that, in Manchester, there were around 80 "massage parlours" which were fronts for prostitution and that the police ignored those establishments, focusing instead on reducing street prostitution.

On October 12, 2005 the Evening News reported that "A self-confessed pimp walked free from court after a judge was told police had 'turned a blind eye' to organised prostitution in massage parlours in Manchester."

In December 2007 the Manchester Evening News removed all advertisements for massage parlours from its personal columns. The move follows a meeting between ministers and newspaper and advertising industry representatives. It followed comments by Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, in the House of Commons on October 25 that some local newspapers were promoting slavery by running sex adverts for foreign women.

The meeting between the government and news and advertising industries - chaired by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker - included Ms Harman, Margaret Hodge, a junior minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Solicitor General Vera Baird, Newspaper Society Director David Newell, Christopher Graham from the Advertising Standards Authority, Baroness Buscombe of the Advertising Association and Roger Wisbey of the Committee of Advertising Practice.

Mr Coaker said after the meeting, on November 1: "We agreed a number of important steps today, and will continue to work together.

"The Government will continue to work with the Police and Local Authorities, and the Newspaper Society has committed to strengthen its guidance to local papers on what adverts to accept, and to raise awareness of this link to trafficking.

"This is just one strand of a range of initiatives, which together will work to eradicate this intolerable trade once and for all."

Canada

In Canada, operating a brothel or being found in a brothel is illegal, and so is public solicitation (see Prostitution in Canada).

Illegal prostitution does happen in some massage parlors. In Toronto, massage parlors are now beginning to call themselves "holistic centres", and branching out to aromatherapy and shiatsu, but 5% of them will still offer sexual services . Nevertheless, places that offer massages (called "body rubs" in Toronto legal jargon) are licensed and regulated differently than places offering "complementary touch therapies", such as shiatsu, and those who offer these services resent the possibility of being categorized with massage parlors.

United States

38 states and the District of Columbia require some type of licencing for massage therapists.

In Rhode Island, prostitution was legal "behind closed doors" from 1980 until 2009. For this reason, massage parlors, also known as "spas" were known to be involved in prostitution. See Prostitution in Rhode Island. The 2009 documentary Happy Endings? explores the Asian massage parlors in Rhode Island, and the debate to criminalize prostitution.

See also

  • Erotic Massage
  • Human Trafficking
  • Prostitution

References

  1. ^ (CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
  2. ^ ("Survival the name of the game," Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998)
  3. ^ (CATW - Asia Pacific "Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific" (17)
  4. ^ (World Vision¹s Bansit Thathorn, the coordinator of the NGO Burmese women, Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers via Mae Sai," Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997)
  5. ^ CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific
  6. ^ UK Law on Prostitution, 2009-08-16
  7. ^ (2005-10-12). "Police turn a blind eye to brothels". Manchester Evening News . http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/177/177492_police_turn_a_blind_eye_to_brothels.html . Retrieved 2007-01-22 .  
  8. ^ http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=39561&sectioncode=1
  9. ^ "City presses alternative therapists". Eye Weekly. 1997-09-18 . http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_09.18.97/news_views/hendley18.php . Retrieved 2007-01-07 .  
  10. ^ Stellin, S. (2007-07-15). "Beyond the Body Wrap: What Makes a Spa Stand Out?". New York Times . http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/business/yourmoney/15spa.html . Retrieved 2007-09-20 .  
  11. ^ Arditi, Lynn (2009-05-31). "'Behind Closed Doors" How RI Decriminalized Prostitution". Providence Journal . http://www.projo.com/news/content/PROSTITUTION_LAW31_05-31-09_NVEHGBH_v161.3e90048.html . Retrieved 2009-07-03 .  
  12. ^ Arditi, Lynn (2009-05-24). "Film Chronicles RI's Asian Brothels". Providence Journal . http://www.projo.com/art/content/HAPPY_ENDINGS_FILM_05-24-09_Q9EFHNF_v25.1ecfa95.html . Retrieved 2009-07-03 .

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