Adult massage: the styles, the etiquette and where to find salons

The phrase is broader than any single style. A sports massage or a spa facial is not part of it. A massage where touch is meant to be sensual, between adults who have both agreed to it, is. That makes it a useful starting word when you know the mood you want but not the name of the technique.

It is also a neutral word. Some people find "erotic" too loud and "sex massage" too blunt, and adult massage sits comfortably between them. On our pages the label changes nothing about the listings: we list salons, not menus, so the same salons appear under every style word. What a given salon does in practice is something you read on its own website or ask about when you get in touch.

• Erotic massage: the everyday name for the whole field, and the category every salon in our directory is filed under.
• Nuru massage: a Japanese style built around a slippery gel and close body contact, usually on a mat rather than a table.
• Tantric massage: slow, breath-led touch drawn loosely from tantra, where pace and awareness count for more than the finish.
• Full body massage: a phrase that simply means the whole body is massaged, back to front, rather than a single area.
• Body rub: the common North American wording for sensual massage under a quieter name.
• Sex massage: a blunt search phrase that leads to the same erotic massage salons; it describes a search, not a service.
• Happy ending: slang people search for, meaning a massage with a sexual finish. It names a search, not something to request, and the masseuse always sets her own limits.

Start from the feeling, not the label. If you want something close to a classic massage with a sensual edge, erotic massage is the natural first choice and the easiest to explain when you get in touch. If closeness matters more than technique, nuru is built around that; it is messy and playful, and a shower before and after is part of the style.

If you are curious about slowing down, breathing and staying present, tantric work suits you better than a short session. If you mainly want to switch off after a long week, a full body massage with a sensual tone may be all you need. None of these is a ranking; they are different moods.

When you book, name the style you want and the length of time, and ask what the salon's own description of that style involves. A clear, polite question gets a clear answer. Explicit questions about sexual acts do not, and they are not how these conversations work.

Every listing for this search is an erotic massage salon, a place where the main thing is a private massage. Gentlemen's clubs are a different kind of venue, built around a stage and a bar, and they are not where you book a massage. Swingers clubs and other sex clubs are different again.

Because we list salons rather than menus, the same salon can turn up under a nuru, tantric or body rub search. Read each salon's own description before you choose, and ask the salon directly about anything it does not spell out.

Most of the etiquette is ordinary courtesy. Arrive on time and freshly washed, and let the salon know if you are running late. Ask how payment works when you book, and bring some cash in case a card is not an option.

In the room, follow the masseuse's lead. She decides what she is comfortable with, and a no is the end of the subject, not the start of a discussion. Keep your phone away, speak up if the pressure or the room temperature is not right, and say thank you at the end. Nothing more is expected of you than respect.

If this is your first time, our first-time erotic massage guide walks through the visit from the first message to leaving, in more detail than fits here.

Bangkok has the deepest list on this page with 41 salons, followed by Prague with 29. London and Las Vegas come next with 28 each.

Budapest (25), New York (23) and Warsaw (21) give plenty of choice too, and Lisbon has 17.

Shorter lists still help when you are in town: Madrid has 9, Hanoi 5, and Athens and Ho Chi Minh City 4 each.

Chicago has 3, Denver 2 and Da Nang 1. Each city card on this page opens the full city page, where you can see every salon we list there.

Is this the same as erotic massage? In everyday use, very nearly. Adult massage is the wider umbrella, erotic massage is the more common name, and on our pages both lead to the same listings.

Can I request one particular style? Yes. Name it when you get in touch and ask how the salon describes it. If it is not something that salon does, choose another one rather than pushing.

Who handles bookings? The salon does. We take no bookings and no payments. You contact the salon directly with the details on its page, and our guide to booking a session covers what to say.

What if plans change? Cancel as early as you can with a short, polite message. If something feels wrong once you are there, you can leave; nobody is owed a session.

Are couples welcome together? Ask when you book rather than assuming. Whether a salon sees couples is its own decision.