Erotic massage salons around the world

An erotic massage salon is a private studio where a masseuse gives sensual massage in a quiet room. The focus is on slow, attentive touch over the whole body, and the masseuse sets the pace from start to finish.

A visit generally follows a simple pattern. You choose a salon and get in touch to arrange a time. You arrive a few minutes early and are shown to a room with a shower, where you freshen up before the massage begins. Afterwards there is time to shower again and dress without hurry. Details differ from place to place, so the salon's own website or a short message is the best source for how a particular studio works.

Style names are search words more than fixed menus. On AdultGuide the same salons appear under every style, because we list salons rather than menus. To learn what a particular studio does, read its own website or ask when you book.

• Nuru: a Japanese style in which the masseuse uses a slippery, odourless gel and glides her body over yours. Read more on our nuru massage page.
• Tantric: slow, mindful touch loosely inspired by Tantra, with attention to breathing and a long build-up. See the tantric massage overview.
• Full body: a massage covering everything from the shoulders to the feet, and the starting point for the other styles.
• Adult massage: a broad umbrella term for any massage with a sensual or erotic side.
• Body rub: the North American name for sensual massage given with the hands and body.
• Happy ending: a colloquial search term for a massage that finishes on an intimate note. It describes what people look for, not something a listing promises.
• Sex massage: a blunt search phrase people type when they mean erotic massage in general. It leads to the same salons.

Start with the city cards on this page, then open the city you plan to visit. The city page lists every salon we have there, and the same salons appear under every massage style, because AdultGuide lists salons rather than menus. Pick a few that suit your trip and read about each one before you get in touch.

A salon's own website is the best place to learn how a studio describes its rooms and styles and how it takes appointments. If any detail is unclear, a short, polite message to the salon is the simplest way to settle it. To see how listings get onto the site, read how we check venues.

This page shows 21 featured venues, from Bangkok, Budapest, Chicago, Hanoi, Lisbon, Madrid, Prague, Varna and Warsaw. Salon owners can read about featured placement for venues.

Booking is simple when you keep it clear and polite. Message or call the salon, say which day and time suit you, and mention if it is your first visit. Ask about the exact entrance, how long the session you are booking lasts, and how payment works. Our guide on how to book an erotic massage goes through the messages step by step. The first-time erotic massage guide covers the visit itself.

• Arrive on time and freshly showered, and tell the salon early if your plans change.
• Follow the masseuse's lead. She guides the session and sets her own limits, and those limits are not up for discussion.
• Accept a no straight away and without argument.
• Respect privacy: take no photos, make no recordings, and keep quiet about anyone else you saw there.

For prices, ask the salon directly, because its own answer is the only one to rely on. When you book, ask how payment works, which currency it is in and whether cards are accepted. Bring some cash as a backup, pay what was agreed for the booking, and leave it at that.

The listings cover 240 salons. Bangkok has the most, with 41. In Europe, Prague lists 29 salons and London 28, followed by Budapest with 25, Warsaw with 21, Lisbon with 17, Madrid with 9 and Athens with 4.

In the United States, Las Vegas lists 28 salons and New York 23, with Chicago at 3 and Denver at 2.

In Vietnam, Hanoi has 5, Ho Chi Minh City has 4 and Da Nang has 1. Counts change as salons join or leave, and each city card opens the full list for that city.

Massage has a long history in many cultures, from the traditional techniques of Thailand and China to the bathhouses of Europe and the Middle East. Sensual massage developed alongside those traditions as something private between adults. The phrase erotic massage came into wide use as studios began describing themselves in plain terms.

The style names have their own roots. Nuru comes from Japan, where the gel-based style developed. Tantric massage in its modern form grew in the West, drawing loosely on ideas from Indian Tantra about breath and awareness. Body rub became the common North American label. The salons in our listings are in capitals and large cities in Europe, Southeast Asia and the United States.

In general practice, a session starts with a shower and a short chat about the pressure and pace you prefer. Clean towels and a massage table or mat are the usual setting. The masseuse works with warm oil or, for nuru, a gel. She leads the session, moves at the pace she chooses and tells you when to turn over.

She sets her own limits, and what happens in a session is her decision. A listing on AdultGuide describes a salon, not a session, so nothing on this page promises any particular experience. To find out which styles a salon describes, check its website or ask when you book.

Do style pages list different places? No. The same salons appear under every massage style, because we list salons rather than menus. Check a salon's own website for the styles it names.

How many salons are listed? There are 240 erotic massage salons across the cities on this page, and each city card opens the full list for that city.

Which city has the most? Bangkok, with 41, followed by Prague with 29 and then London and Las Vegas with 28 each.

Is it fine to ask questions in advance? Yes. A short, polite message about the entrance, the session length or payment is a normal part of arranging a visit.

Should newcomers say so upfront? Yes. Mentioning that it is your first visit when you book lets the masseuse explain how the session runs before it starts.

What if a masseuse says no? Accept it at once. She sets her own limits, and respecting them is part of every visit.