I started working at an erotic massage parlor, testing out various spas blindly. The experiences I had and the interactions I experienced with clients was an essential part of my foundational knowledge when it comes to my own sexuality, sensuality and what is desired from other people and missing in most peoples' lives. This also contributed to my desire for independence from the spa.
Most people who start in the SW industry have a friend or someone close who is already working at a spa or an agency. I was completely ignorant to how everything operated and the internet was not much help. Before I started, I decided what my boundaries would be and, because I was older than most girls who begin their career, I had the wisdom to realize that maintaining these boundaries were essential for my mental health.
I am writing this article to hopefully provide insight in the similarities and differences between a holistic and a licensed erotic massage parlor as well as raise awareness to different types of human trafficking.
A licensed erotic massage parlor holds a city license to operate as such. From my understanding, these licenses are 10x the amount financially, both to purchase and renew each year, and there are limited numbers available in each municipality. It seems to be a gray area which is permitted by law, and not legal, but the spas that I have worked at and/or interviewed at seems to bend these rules, offering escort-type of service behind closed doors. Typically, and depending on each municipalitys' rules, pictures of the attendants are allowed on their websites, attendants may be allowed to walk around in lingerie and the website is permitted to advertise using terms such as erotic massage, body and nude massage. Each attendant must be licensed by the municipality and these attendants purchase their license and fulfill a series of requirements, including health tests that must be cleared by a registered physician. Some physicians will sign off on this paperwork arbitrarily if paid in cash for the exam, which poses many ethical issues as you can probably imagine.
A holistic massage has stricter rules and owners tend to open under these licenses' because there aren't any erotic massage licenses available. These spas tend to be a little more covert in their advertising, but not always. Some holistic spas will advertise just "relaxation massage" whereas others will offer additional spa services, such as waxing. Bi-law may check in on some of these spas more frequently, depending on the municipality.
Both types of spas will turn a blind eye to attendants who are offering escort-type services, depending on the spa you visit. Additionally, I have interviewed at spas that make it a requirement to offer specific services, which I believe is a total immoral and illegal approach. How can you give someone an ultimatum to work at your establishment if they don't choose a list of sexual services you expect them to offer?
Overall, from my experience, it seems like the most important focus for bi-law is ensuring that attendants are not being trafficked. Some places will have unreported immigrants working in spas, willing and/or unwilling parties. Sometimes if a spa is located near a school or a residential area, bi-law will have pressure from people in the community to investigate and shut down the business. This is why most municipalities require spas to be located in industrial areas, away from the general public. I have still witnessed other attendants being trafficked by their "boyfriends" or "lovers", which I will write about later.
It is great that the law has become more aware of human trafficking and have cracked down on these illegal businesses in an attempt to prevent this from happening. However, did you know that human trafficking can also take the form of labour as well, and most vulnerable populations are immigrants who are unsure of the laws in Canada? Some food for thought in making the essential changes in society...
Do you wish to add to this, have any other questions or disagree with my post? Your feedback is important to me. Feel free to send all inquiries, with your desired pen name, at autumn.addison.massage@gmail.com
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