Extra Service (ES) in the Massage Industry
DISCLAIMER: WELLNESSVILLE Massage Spa does not offer Extra Service or any form of paid sexual favors. What we offer are HIGH QUALITY MASSAGE SERVICES for your ultimate relaxation experience.
ES or Extra Service is a popular request amongst massage patrons in the Philippines. It’s a code word for sex where the client or patient offers to pay for sexual favors on top of the massage service rate. In western countries, “extra service” is akin to “happy endings”.
In the Philippines, prostitution and paid sexual favors are considered criminal offences, and hence, massage establishments do not openly publish extra service on their menu. It is the massage therapist who offers this service to his/her client towards the end of the massage. This is done through a “bulong”; the act of whispering to the client whether he/she is willing to avail of extra service. If the client is amenable, the negotiation process kicks in. The therapist clarifies with the client what he/she wants. To avoid failed expectations, the therapist may inform his/her client in advance of his/her limitations. From there, the therapist and the client agree on a price, which varies depending on the extra service/s requested. The amount quoted by the therapist is usually on top of the fee paid for the regular massage rendered.
What are Included in the Extra Service?
The services included in an ES differ from client to client or from one massage therapist to another. Clients are limited by their preferences and financial resources. Therapists, on the other hand, are limited by their circumstances such as their morals, beliefs, and the associated risks accompanying extra service.
Extra service may include kissing, oral sex, sexual intercourse, masturbation, fetishes, intimate conversations, companionship, etc. and the price goes up with every additional service availed of.
Price Range of Extra Service
The cost of extra service depends on the services requested from the therapist but there is also a price known as the “all-in rate”. Under the all in rate, a fixed price is charged from the client and the services to be rendered include the massage and sex. While it is an all in rate, it’s not always the case that the therapist is open to everything. He/she may still have limitations.
Extra Service and the Massage Industry
With the global pandemic taking the world over, many massage businesses have been forced to close. Those that survived were lured to offer extra service to entice clients to pay more and return for more. This trend, however, has adversely affected the image of all massage establishment particularly those that are not engaged in prostituting their massage therapists.
Recently, even the more established brands have started offering extra service openly or discretely. Even those whose policies clearly prohibit their therapists from entertaining sexual solicitations have turned a blind eye on blatant sexual activities within the vicinities of their businesses all to enable their therapists to earn more. This is rather a strategic move to ensure a favorable retention rate of their employees.
Massage therapists who engage in extra service are susceptible to abuses because prostitution is illegal in the Philippines. Victims of abusive clients are ashamed, if not scared, to seek the help of authorities. There’s also the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, which is apparent in the alarming rates of contagion in the Philippines.
The Philippines is predominantly Catholic, and any move to legalize prostitution is met with heavy opposition. Consequently, Filipinos working in the sex trade are not accorded proper protection by the state. Had it been legal, sex workers would be provided with proper counseling, protection, and health care. To this day, sex workers remain underground, and still, they remain vulnerable to exploitations and abuses.
Looking for Extra Service
Extra service is still considered a taboo in the Philippines, and to bluntly ask a spa receptionist if it’s on their menu is a crime. It’s a punishable act to solicit for sex in the Philippines.
While there are spas that promote extra service unashamedly, the vast majority remain discrete. Marketing activities are mostly done online because of the benefits of anonymity.
A great number of these transactions between clients and massage therapists are perfected online. Facebook Groups and Twitter are the most popular platforms where these negotiations take place.
