At the risk of death threats and serious resistance from competitors, we feel that we owe it to everyone to shine a light on the industry in an effort to not only make massage more affordable for everyone, but to ensure that the industry as a whole gives you the best service possible. A few years ago the Happy Head published an article called “Dirty Massage Parlor Secrets Exposed.” While the article was informative for many and really opened everyone’s eyes to what’s going on in the industry, Asian Spa owners did not take kindly to the article. It revealed some hidden truths that have been kept under wraps for many years. Following the article, Happy Head management began to receive let’s just say “Not So Nice” comments and threats from many lower end Asian Spa establishments. Even at the risk of assassination, the hidden truths are going to be revealed.
In this article you’ll discover:
How many of these businesses stay in business while only charging ten to twenty bucks for a massage!
Are those massage parlors clean?
Where does your money really end up?
And much more!
It’s hard to ignore the enticing $20 per hour massage signs as you drive through Chinatown. But what’s really behind those glowing signs and gated doors. Can you really get a good massage for $20 or are you really getting more than you bargained for? Sometimes getting what you paid for can be a really bad thing.
Several years ago, Asian massage parlors began popping up throughout San Diego and other cities at a very fast pace. As soon as a sign went up promoting a massage for $30, minutes later less than a block away another sign would go up promoting a $25 massage in what would be known as the Asian massage price wars. Now you can get a massage for as little as $10, but do you really know what that $10 buys you. Read on discover the shocking truth that Asian massage parlor owners don’t want you to know about.
Shocking Truth # 1 If some of these places charge so little, how much do the masseuses make?
To become a skilled masseuse, they have to undergo hundreds of hours of studying and hundreds of hours of hands on technique. So how do these massage parlors hire masseuses for so cheap? The answer is simple. They hire randoms. A random is someone that one week was working the kitchen at the local restaurant and the next week decided to do massage. Sounds silly but that’s just the way it goes. Do the math. Even at a minimum wage of $10, after taxes, overtime, and insurance, it would have to cost the company twice that to maintain workers. So if you’re charging $10 per massage, it’s impossible to hire skilled individuals so they end up hiring regular individuals that know the basics of giving a rub-down. And even it’s still impossible to cover the cost so most of these workers primarily make their income directly from their tip. Just do the math. It’s a no-brainer.
Shocking Truth #2 The place seems a little dirty. Is it clean?
If you consider flipping the sheets over and over in between customers as cleaning, well I guess you can call that clean. The reality is many of those massage parlors don’t replace the sheets in between massage services. They just look at the sheet and if it looks clean then they assume it must be clean. Remember, if they’re willing to charge so little for their service, they will do everything possible to cut corners and make up for any losses. And the easiest way to do that is to save on cleaning. Sheets are supposed to be washed and replaced after each and every customer. A well known condition that you may find at some of those massage parlors is scabies. Scabies is an itchy, highly contagious skin disease caused by an infestation of mites. Placing your naked body onto a sheet full of these mites can seriously ruin your day.
Shocking Truth #3 If I shine a fluorescent light on the sheet, what will I find?
Let’s just cut to the chase. Do those Asian massage parlors do happy endings? The answer is yes and no. Some don’t and some do. All you have to do a search on backpage, craigslist, or rubmaps, and you’ll find tons of reviews of different experiences at those massage parlors. You can read up on exactly what type of “extra” service you’ll get at these happy ending parlors. Remember hidden truth #2. The next time you lay on that sheet, you may want to run a fluorescent light on it to see what kind of bodily fluids you may be rubbing up against. Most of these massage establishments don’t last too long or you’ll see a regular change of ownership. If you see a grand opening sign go up every few months there’s a good reason for that. When selecting a massage parlor, be sure to choose the ones that are clean and have been in business for a while. That could be the difference between getting an enjoyable massage vs. being on antibiotics for the next 10 days.
That’s it for now. Let me prepare for the threats and backlash from some of these massage parlors that the above truths pertain to. Our goal at the Happy Head is to change the industry as a whole and make massage wonderful for everyone.