Some massage parlors are front organizations for prostitution and the term "massage parlor" has also become a euphemism for a brothel. The term "massage parlour" British English or "massage parlor" American English refers to a front for prostitution , and was 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.
Particularly where prostitution is illegal, massage parlors as well as saunas , spas or similar establishments may be fronts for places of prostitution. 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 a sexual release.
In addition to a "happy ending" service, given the restrictions imposed upon most striptease venues, some erotic massage venues now also offer a service where the client can masturbate him or herself while watching an artist perform a striptease. 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 bodyparts unrelated to typical erogenous zones are associated with eroticism and sensuality.
In Italy, massage parlours can be fronts for prostitution. Advertisements for massage parlours are listed in newspapers, in some cases offering "Japanese" or "Oriental" massage.
