Share on Facebook Share on Twitter In the course of SBS Thai Radio's recent investigations into the hidden sex work culture of the Thai massage industry in Australia, experts revealed that 'dodgy' massage shops are more common than you might think.
Shops open until very late hours at night, for example until pm or later, are often a red flag. How private is it? Think about massage shops where clients are massaged on chairs lined next to each other. Open-air massage, Thai-style: Foreign tourists get a foot massage in Bangkok, Thailand side by side in the open air - no privacy here! Some dodgy shops have back doors for clients to access without being noticed, offering very private massage rooms. Illuminated rear entrance to an actual brothel in Sydney The shops mainly target male clients Getty Images The shops advertise about their staff using describing their age, appearance, race, and promoting new staff.
Tricia Hughes, CEO of Massage Myotherapy which is the Association of Professional Therapists in Australia, says "Some of the other things people should consider if they go in to the shops, is to ask the therapists where they have been trained.
She says, "if they [clients] ask serious questions of the practitioners if they go into the clinics, if they check on our website on our directory, they are going to have more confidence in their therapists they are going to see.
Professional massage therapists are aware that being naked can make both the client and the masseuse feel uneasy. So to make the clients be able to relax, asking them to keep the underwear on is better for everyone.
