One of my biggest fears as a foreigner getting massages in Japan was that I would accidentally enter a massage business where massage was really just a pretext for sexual services. I was worried I’d have something unexpectedly done to me while I was half asleep with my eyes closed. I was worried I’d get a high bill racked up for something I didn’t ask for, refused, but still had to pay for. Worst case scenario, I worried I’d get into a place owned by shady people and have some kind of trouble, perhaps having my money, credit card, or passport taken.
Maybe my fears were overly paranoid but you hear stories… and in fact I’ve got a “close call” story of my own that I’ll share at some point. For the most part though, if you follow some basic guidelines you will find that virtually all of the Japanese massage places you enter are legit, massage-only businesses. I’m glad these guidelines have helped me successfully get over my fears because it would have been a shame to miss out on experiencing massage services in Japan, which have been the best of my life.
Businesses that provide massage as well as sexual services are legal in Japan and it isn’t always clear which just offer massage and which offer more. Nuances of language can contribute to this confusion. I saw a massage business that used the word “sensual” in their service description in spite of being totally legit. I went and their check-in forms were very explicit about their non-sexual nature. Conversely, some non-legit businesses may not make it clear they offer more than massage until a customer has already pre-paid for their massage. The moral of the story is that looks can be deceiving so you want to be vigilant and look for some of the key indicators of legit and non-legit massage businesses.
The first and most obvious signal of legitimacy is how a business presents itself on the web. Go to their website and check out the info you can find on one of the big map sites. If there are pictures of beautiful women in revealing clothing, it is pretty clear what they have on offer. These photos often show the body but not the face of the “therapist.” If you just see regular looking photos of massage rooms and therapists dressed appropriately and with smiling faces, that is a good sign (but not a guarantee) they are legit. If you want to see some examples, or just have a chuckle, find a map site that includes an “open now” option, center the search on Tokyo, and search for “massage” at 3 AM local time. You’ll see some stuff.
A second signal of legitimacy is if the business is Japanese-owned and the therapists are Japanese. Of course legit places can be owned by non-Japanese and there are many wonderful non-Japanese therapists. There are also Japanese-run massage businesses that offer sexual services by Japanese staff. However, if you do much research, you may find that many non-legit places you could easily end up in are not Japanese-owned. Similarly, it isn’t that easy to just accidentally end up in a Japanese-owned sexual services provider as many of them only deal in Japanese and tend to be less interested in catering to foreigners. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but just one of the many signals you may want to consider.
The payment process can also be a sign of the nature of the business. Most places where I made an appointment took some kind of deposit and accepted credit cards for the reservation after discussing exactly what service I wanted from their list of available services. If the deposit was done online I always recognized the app they used as being well known and legitimate such as LINE or Square. The one time I accidentally went into a non-legit place they asked me to pre-pay for the session before I even knew what the service offerings were, much less chosen a course and session length. If it doesn’t feel like they’re operating a real business, always trust your gut.
The above considerations are things you can usually see while researching a place ahead of trying to make an appointment but one of the clearest indicators of legitimacy comes during the check-in process. Legit places almost always specify that nothing sexual is offered or tolerated by showing you a document in writing when you show up. As a foreigner, I was frequently shown a special document with just that info, in English, and was asked to confirm I understood. Excellent. This always made me feel 100% comfortable, but honestly, customers really would be better off knowing before they book and I wish more businesses had a clear statement on their websites for clarity.
Finally, there are a few “non-factors” that may lead you to think a legit place is illegitimate. These factors seem unique to Japan, at least when compared to my home country of the United States. First, one way I determine if a place is legit in the US is to see what time they close. Anything closing after about 8 PM would start to make me nervous. However, things are totally different in Japan. It is very common for massage places to be open late. 8-10 PM closing times are common and some of my favorite 100% legit places are open until 4 AM in the morning.
A second “non-factor” is the massage business location. Some may seem sketchy to foreign customers who are not used to the types of locations where Japanese massage places operate. It is not uncommon for legitimate places to be in some seemingly non-professional locations like random 5th story office buildings and residential apartments with no business-related signage. Such locations may feel weird and set off alarm bells for non-Japanese, causing them to miss some of the best legitimate massage places in Japan.
A final “non-factor” is having showers in the massage treatment rooms. One may initially question why they’d have showers in the treatment rooms, especially if you’re coming from a country where that is unheard of, like in the United States. However, it is quite common in legitimate Japanese massage businesses to have a shower and once you get over the initial weirdness, they are kind of great. Believe me, the first time you go for a massage after walking in the summer heat and arrive dripping with sweat, you’ll appreciate the option to take a quick shower.
Please note that looking at any one of these signs isn’t necessarily a deciding factor, so it is best to consider all the above, any others you can come up with, and to use your own intuition before making a decision on where to go. As a fail-safe, I always let friends or family know where I’m going to be before I enter a new business location.
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