Massage Parlors

AMP - "I should've done my reading"red_smile
OnlyLiveTwice 25 Reviews 3215 reads
posted

The other day, I was in a neighborhood, had some time and decided to do my first visit to an AMP. This particular establishment has been reviewed on TER, so I felt confident in placing the call, which was promptly answered and she said that she could accommodate me on the spot... And that was the last time that "English was spoken"...

So, I get there and am escorted to the room with the massage table. I hand over the house fee and she points to a wall muttering "table shower", then she leaves. I look, there is a small shelf on the wall with a plastic toiletry bag, a can of Lysol, a box of kleenex and a small bottle of sanitizer. No sign of any water... Huh? So, I undress, and use a couple of kleenex with some of the sanitizer to "wash", putting the used kleenex in the bag (no sign of a waste basket).

A couple of minutes later, the masseuse enters, looks at me and states "table shower", pointing to the same wall... I look at her in puzzlement, she hands me a towel, pointing to my mid-riff (OK, I get it and wrap the towel around me). She opens the door and walks me to another room where there is another table and the source of water! I lay down and she proceeds to wash me with warm then hot water. And that is when it occurs to me that the waterproof toiletry bag was for the wallet, the cell-phone and any other valuables that I may have walked in with!

End of the story: I let her do her thing (wash me head-to-toe); we went back to the other room for the massage and, because this is a reputable establishment (or I am just plain dumb lucky), nothing of mine went missing.

The experience was good (and I gave her a tip equal to the house fee) but I do wonder about these ladies - who speak about six words of English. What kind of industry am I supporting?

involuntary or exploitative servitude, the answer is:  Depends, and it's not all that simple.

My knowledge of these things is based upon getting to know two K gals pretty well over the years to the extent that I visited them at their homes and met various family members of theirs.

These gals by and large are grateful to be able to come to the US and pull down sums of money that are unthinkable back in Seoul or wherever.  If not here, they would be lucky to be working in a textile or electronics plant for a few dollars a day and working like slaves.

Some are able to save enough to get some education and learn English, then go start a business of their own (often an AMP).

If your conscience bothers you then don't partake, but personally, I have no qualms unless I hear something particularly unseemly about a certain place.

...I have visited a multitude of AMP's ( probably at least 50 in over 40 years ) and I initially had the same concerns you have expressed about leaving my cash, credit cards and valuables in the room while taking the pre-session shower....but in hundreds of visits at AMP's I have rarely encountered anything but kindness and total respect for myself and my belongings. Some AMP's do offer a zip lock bag for the valuables of gents who want to carry them with them at all times.

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