Full body massage: what the search means and where to find it

The spa version is a relaxing treatment with the client draped in a sheet, each part uncovered in turn and covered again. Nobody expects anything sensual from it, and the focus is on muscles, one group at a time.

The adult meaning keeps the head to toe coverage but changes the mood. Strokes are slower and longer, the hands travel across the whole body rather than working one area, and the receiver is usually undressed apart from a towel. Generous oil is part of the style, because long gliding strokes need it. On AdultGuide both searches lead to the same place: the erotic massage salons in each city, gathered in our erotic massage directory. Ask the salon itself whether it works in this way.

As general practice, the session opens with a shower, then the receiver lies face down. The masseuse starts at the back and shoulders, moves down the legs and back up, and may use her forearms as well as her hands on the longer strokes. A towel covers what the receiver wants covered, and it is fine to say you would like it to stay put.

Partway through, the receiver turns face up, and the front of the body gets the same slow attention: arms, chest, legs. The pace is set by the masseuse. Some sessions close with a quiet minute, a second shower and time to dress without hurry. Details vary from one salon to the next, so treat this as the common outline of the style, not a description of any particular room.

The neighbouring styles share the oil and the bare skin but differ in method. A nuru session uses a slippery gel and body contact rather than hands alone, as our nuru massage page explains. A tantric session puts breathing, slow touch and a ritual pace first, covered on the tantric massage page. A body rub is mainly an American label for a sensual massage with no fixed method, described on our body rub overview.

A full body massage, in its adult sense, is the plain middle of that group: hands and oil, the whole body covered, no special gel and no spiritual frame. If you are unsure which label fits what you want, ask the salon how it describes its own sessions and choose on that basis.

• Whether the salon works in this style, and what it calls it, since one place may say full body and another sensual or classic erotic.
• How long the session lasts and how payment works, asked plainly when you book.
• Whether a shower is available before and after.
• If a lighter or firmer touch can be requested, and if the towel can stay in place.
• How to find the address, and whether to send a message on arrival.

Keep the message short and polite. Our guide to booking an erotic massage walks through a first message step by step.

Arrive clean and on time, and take the shower even if you washed at home: it is basic courtesy. Tell the masseuse early about any area you would rather she avoids, a sore knee, ticklish feet, a recent sunburn, and say so again if something does not suit you during the session.

Then let her lead. She chooses the order, the pressure and the pace, and she sets her own limits, which are hers alone and not up for discussion. Keep your hands to yourself, and keep conversation at whatever level she seems comfortable with. A quiet thank you and an unhurried exit leave the best impression. First timers will find more in our first erotic massage guide.

Every city on this page leads to its full list of erotic massage salons. AdultGuide lists salons, not menus, so the same salons appear under every massage style, and the counts show how deep each city list runs.

• Bangkok has the longest list, with 41 salons.
• Prague follows with 29.
• London and Las Vegas have 28 each.
• Budapest has 25 and New York 23.
• Warsaw has 21 and Lisbon 17.
• Madrid has 9, while Hanoi has 5.
• Athens and Ho Chi Minh City have 4 each, Chicago 3, Denver 2 and Da Nang 1.

Together that makes 240 salons across the cities on this page.

Is this just another name for erotic massage? In adult searches the two overlap heavily. Full body describes the coverage, head to toe with oil, while erotic massage is the wider category it sits in.

Must I undress completely? That is up to you. Say what you are comfortable with when you arrive, and ask for the towel to stay in place if you prefer.

Can pressure or pace change midway? Yes. A short word during the session is fine, and the masseuse can adjust within the way she works.

Why does each listing appear on every style page? We list salons, not menus. Each salon appears under every massage style, so ask the salon directly which styles it works in.

Who handles bookings? The salon does. AdultGuide is a directory only, so you contact the salon yourself using the details on its listing and arrange the visit with the salon.