Sex slave or smart entrepreneur? The truth about "happy ending massages"

Ever heard of the "happy ending massage"? It is a common phrase at massage parlours offering sexual services, and they are not hard to find in Australia. But the women (and in some cases: men) are often left to fend for themselves, in terms of their workplace rights, safety and health.

A masseuse working on a client

A masseuse working on a client Source: SBS

The industry is full of especially Asian female migrants and international students, lured by the promise of easy money to provide massage with "extra" services.

"When I was in Thailand, I never thought I would end up offering dodgy massage. When I first started working as a masseuse, I was actually surprised to know that this kind of service existed. But after so many clients asked me, I thought to myself, 'Okay, I'll do it,' because I get a lot of money and it is less tiring than normal massage."

Joy#, a Thai masseuse in her 30s in Sydney who is in Australia on a student visa, studying English and accounting. 

Should 'happy ending massages" be outlawed in Australia? What do you think?
#Joy's name and other details have been changed to protect her identity.


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Published 4 October 2017 8:03pm
Updated 12 August 2022 3:53pm
By Parisuth Sodsai, Elise Potaka
Presented by Christian Froelicher
Source: The Feed, SBS Thai


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