Happy Ending: The New Trend In Spas

Happy endings used to be the stuff of fairy tales, a joyous resolution to a story after a period of turmoil and adventure. These days, anyone can secure a happy ending in one hour just by strolling into a massage parlour, or after a private session with a massage therapist. TOMI FALADE writes

Everyone enjoys happy endings, but for massage therapists, they mean something very different. A few weeks ago, a commercial for a massage parlour of­fering sensual massages with guaran­teed happy endings went viral online, with prices ranging from N40,000 for one therapist to N400,000 for three ther­apists and a full-blown sexual session. This sparked discussion on social me­dia about how much individuals would pay for a massage with a Happy Ending.

In the last two decades, spas in Nige­ria have witnessed an upsurge of clients as people’s exposure and buying power increased. No longer is it considered an unattainable luxury to get a massage or body treatment, instead, it is just anoth­er lifestyle addition for anyone with as low as N10,000 and as much as N50,000. As with all things though, a more con­troversial part of the lifestyle treatment is getting a massage with a happy end­ing and it is the entire rave now.

Ebuka is a massage therapist in Asaba who cannot seem to find work months after completing his five-month-long masseur training. According to him, massage parlours no longer em­ploy male massage therapists because of the fear of unwanted happy endings.

According to dictionary.com, a hap­py ending massage is a massage that starts with the usual full-body rubdown but ends with a sexual act, usually a hand job or a blowjob. Light research reveals that the term happy ending in literature describes a story where the heroes achieve the best possible out­come and wrap up loose ends.

In the realm of erotic massages, however, a happy ending is altogether different and, in most cases, prohibited. Erotic massage has been practiced for thousands of years. It was recommend­ed to patients by Ancient Greek doctors, for example, and it is still a major part of contemporary Tantric practice. The term happy ending on the other end is a newer 20th-century connotation re­ferring to a hand job or blowjob at the end of a traditional massage. The term was first noticed in 1999 after a Week­end Australian article had described a massage parlour as providing “a guar­anteed ‘happy ending’.”

Alexandra, a Lagos-based massage therapist in an exclusive chat with Sat­urday INDEPENDENT revealed that happy ending massages come as part of their training.

“A trained massage therapist also gets training for erotic massage, which is what we call it. That is because you cannot just start rubbing your hand on someone’s private part and say that it is a happy ending that you are doing just to make the client satisfied. We do dif­ferent strokes and different touches that would require you to be very sure and confident. For example, prostate mas­sage requires you to touch and stroke the male private area,” she said.

Continuing, she explained, “Happy endings are not an automatic addition to all massages as some people think, happy endings come strictly with spe­cial massages like sensual massages like; nuru massage, yoni massage, tantric massage, or lingam massage… these are the ones that come with happy endings.

“It is not compulsory or mandatory for the therapist to give out a happy end­ing to the client. When it is forced, that is when it is considered rape or sexual assault.

“When it is consensual, happy end­ings come in three forms. There’s the hand job, blow job and then sex. Most of the time, it is strictly hand jobs. Sensual massages are mostly done with hand jobs, but when the client is over-excit­ed and wants something else, they can demand a blow job; that’s for men and the women can decide for a male ther­apist or a female therapist to give them a head (oral sex) and then the sex can now come in if they really want to go overboard with it.

“The therapist can always decide to say no unless he or she wants it. Where I used to work, we offered the service, but it is not mandatory if you are not open to it.”

In Ebuka’s case, the business has be­come so difficult because of the fear of unwanted happy endings. “I have been trying to get a job as a male massage therapist, but it is very difficult for me to get a spa because most spas don’t hire male therapists.

“Let me give you an example; Wom­en who want a normal massage don’t like a guy to massage them because they will be thinking of the negative aspect. So, for most therapists women are in higher demand because they are considered the safer choice. Male therapists are only hired at the request of clients.

“The truth is that just like a man massaging a woman, if a lady is mas­saging a guy, the guy will feel some­thing, or may get aroused, it is now left for the therapist to be professional. When I was still in massage school, my trainer taught me that if I was massag­ing a girl, I must focus on my job as a professional male therapist and neglect whatever I see or feel.

“With a mobile massage where you go to a client’s home or hotel room, the client might ask for extra service. That extra service might be a happy ending or anything sexual. It is now left for the male therapist to decide whether to do it or not to do it. Everybody has a choice, though I think it is against the ethics of the profession.

“But as a male therapist, you must learn to control yourself, massage the person, and collect your money and go. You must have the mindset of a profes­sional in the field, you are there to re­lieve stress and rejuvenate your client by relieving their stress and pains. Even if the female client is naked you must not concentrate on her nakedness or on her private parts, only concentrate on where the pains and tension are. Most times female clients can wear dispos­able panties and bra, and we use towels to cover the breast and the private areas as well.”

Going further, he asserted, “Our problem in the massage industry for men is the negative mindset. In my research in foreign countries in terms of male therapists, I see that they hire more male therapists than female ther­apists in their country. So I think if we Africans or Nigerians can take away that negative mentality of ‘How can a guy massage a lady? Or how can a guy massage a guy? If we can take away that mentality because the result needed is for the person to get relieved, there will be a good mixture of male and female therapists in the industry.”

On the pricing of sensual massages, Alex on her part revealed that it varies depending on the extent. “In most cases, the company will first ask the therapist individually if they can offer blow jobs or other happy endings. They ask them before they send them out for any sen­sual massages. Most times, the expec­tation is a hand job, anything beyond that can be an agreement between the therapist and the client. That’s because not all spa outfits allow happy endings, while others have it fused together with the massage. Happy ending massage usually starts from about N40,000.

“Most clients are responsible cli­ents, but in a situation where the client becomes irrational, the therapist can end the session and leave especially if it was not discussed beforehand. I am as­suming no client wants to be found in a newspaper or wants the police to arrest them; thereby implicating himself and tarnishing his image or his business with rape and sexual assault,” she said.

Explaining why sensual massages are pricier, she added, “During a sensu­al massage, it takes a lot for a therapist to open up her body for a client to see and it is risky.

“Let’s say for example in a nuru or even erotic massage, she is going to slide on the client to achieve her aim. You don’t know what disease the client has. Because as you’re sliding on the body, you can pick up infections or oth­er bacteria. Before the therapist even does that kind of job, she has to get test­ed. Take vaccines to make sure that she is okay health-wise and even at that, you still can’t be too sure.

“Meanwhile, cli­ents will tell you they are clean despite the lack of any proof. As a result, a regular nuru massage will cost between N40,000 and N60,000, depending on the region and the client’s financial situ­ation at the moment. If the client wants a therapist from the mainland, he will pay twice as much or more because the therapist will go to meet him or her. You also have to consider the cost of fuel and transportation, and at the end of the day, once all the massages are done, the therapist will still go back to the hospital to make sure she doesn’t have any­thing even after taking all those immu­nisations.

“The thing is that Nigerians messed up the system. There are some people who are not trained, not certified ther­apists or masseurs or masseurs. They will just learn the work and say ‘I am ready to work now’ and they end up spoiling the whole business. It takes approximately six months to one year to learn, and I am still learning because there are certain massages that I still want to learn how to do not just the ba­sic massage. This is the human body, there are so many things for you to do; not just rubbing your hand on the body.”

On those who go into the business just to offer a happy ending, she said, “They’ve spoilt the business already. Massage is about the whole body and making the body relax. But now, peo­ple are going into massage not because of what it used to be, they are going in because of hookup.”

Speaking on the concept of hookups and happy endings, another therapist, Joyce claimed that while men demand more for happy endings, women do too and do not mind that it is a girl who is giving it.

“I became a masseuse six years ago and I have seen it all. Initially, I didn’t do happy endings. If I am massaging a woman, I would ask her before I mas­sage her breast or any private area of her body, but the request for a happy ending was too much. I was working at a well-known hotel, and the men were so unbearable, as I was massaging them, they would be looking for ways to massage me too. It was so bad that one client almost raped me till I gave in and asked him to use a condom. After that, I started charging full money and opened my own mobile spa. I have a massage space, but I prefer to go to wherever my clients are.

“Now, most of my clients get a happy ending. I like my identity as a happy-ending massage therapist. I know what I am getting into when someone books a Nuru massage or a sensual massage because I can at least get extra money. My normal massage is N25,000. Nuru massage with a handjob is N40,000 asides transportation, and if it is sex N70,000 to N100,000 depending on the location in Lagos asides trans­portation. In a week, I may do two or three of those massages because it is stressful too.”

Explaining what a Nuru massage is, she said, “In a Nuru massage, you lie with your body on the client and use your whole body to massage the client. Sometimes, the client may let you wear a tiny bikini, and others may prefer you fully naked.”

“For the women, it is just as the same for men; there are some men; those that prefer a man. Women also prefer their fellow women to mas­sage them and touch them and rub them and do everything. Some men prefer women and some men prefer men. It depends on who you want at that period. I don’t judge.”

Dr Niyi Agbaje, a young medical doctor resident in the UK believes that massages when done right are beneficial to the body. “In my expe­rience, massages are a great way to relieve stress and work out the kinks in your muscles. However, not everyone who offers massage services is a trained professional. When done wrong, it can even add to your pain.

“In terms of erotic massages, there is no medical research to sup­port the benefits. Sex is beneficial in its own right, but I do not know of the medical impact of happy end­ings. However, therapists who offer this service indiscriminately run the risk of catching an infection or disease. They open themselves up to health risks.

“If there were no risks in terms of human contact, doctors wouldn’t need gloves. Neither would sur­geons need masks. The risk of transference of infection is higher with erotic massages. Blowjobs and indiscriminate sex are just as bad and should not be encouraged. You don’t know what the other person is carrying and you’re going to put your mouth there. You might end up catching a disease.”

Agreeing with Dr. Agbaje, Alex said, “Massage drains the thera­pist’s body. The massage that drains the therapist’s body the most is deep tissue massage. Deep tissue requires you to do a lot of energy and pressure. It drains the body and the soul. After the therapist finishes doing his or her job, they end up getting tired. So it is just like they are draining out their energy and they will now need massage on themselves again.

Physiotherapist Aduke Jo­la-Fasanya resident in Abeokuta, Ogun State also opined that mas­sage, when done right is beneficial to the human body. “In our day-to-day activities, we sometimes overwork our muscles, especially those who do a lot of physical work. Massage helps relieve these pains, but people tend to mix massage up with core physiotherapy, which is dangerous.”

Without casting aspersions on the practice, one must also consider the legality of the practice of happy endings. The happy ending is essen­tially paying for sex is covered as il­legal in sections 223, 224, and 225 of the Criminal Code. It is also illegal in Northern Nigeria under the Pe­nal Code.

There is also the question of sex­ual assault and rape risk for both the therapist and the client.

Precious Bada, a native of Ibadan, Oyo State recounted her experience with one of such therapists. “I found him on social media, and his price was favourable N15,000, so I invited him to my house. When he got to me I undressed but covered myself with a towel and the massage started. I lay down on my belly and he started with my legs.

“I noticed he paid special atten­tion to my buttocks but I didn’t mind because I believed it was normal. Everything was going well until he tapped me to turn. That was when I noticed that his eyes were focused on my body and his penis was hard. I screamed at him but he kept telling me to calm down and enjoy myself. He looked desperate. His eyes had changed. I didn’t know when I ran outside to my neighbour’s house with just a towel. I didn’t go back until I heard him leave my house. If I had stayed, I’m sure he would have raped me,” she stated.

Mr. Adebola Akinyemi, who spends most of his time in upscale luxurious hotels in V/I stated that most of the female massage thera­pists solicit him for sex because he is generous with money. According to him, “I am used to massages, but those girls in V/I hotels are some­thing else. Once I undress, they start rubbing my private area because they know I will give them money. Most massage therapists try to force you to have sex with them.”

Yet, with all the dangers and risks, it has become a thriving trade in Nigeria today revealing bigger cracks in the reality of African mo­rality and modernity.