The commercial sex industry has evolved in many troubling ways in recent years, with the illicit massage business being one of the most widespread forms of exploitation in the United States. Behind what is often a flippant reference to a “happy ending” massage lies an alarming reality. Illicit massage businesses are an exploitative enterprise “that use the cover of a legitimate bodywork or massage business to provide commercial sex acts to a customer base of sex buyers.” There are currently an estimated 7,500 to 9,000 illicit massage businesses operating in the United States, with the majority of the victims being low-income immigrant women.
Many illicit massage businesses are part of larger, organized networks of labor exploitation and human trafficking that facilitate obtaining women for the purpose of “employing them” to perform commercial sex acts. Victims are often lured through deceptive recruitment tactics such as fraudulent advertisements offering seemingly legitimate work for “thousands of dollars a month.” Women who respond to these advertisements find themselves “ensnared in a form of modern indentured servitude” and are subject to abuse by both the traffickers facilitating their employment and the sex buyers they interact with on a daily basis.
The promise of a place to live is one way that traffickers in the illicit massage business recruit their victims, as these women are typically forced to live on-site so that their actions can be closely monitored. The living conditions are cramped and unsanitary; women often have no choice but to sleep on the massage tables they are forced to service sex buyers on, preparing their meals on hot plates “in cramped kitchens or on back steps.” Every aspect of their lives is controlled by their traffickers, including where they go, who they talk to, what they eat, and how they dress. They are often required to pay for their own supplies, including condoms, and must rely primarily on tips for income as they are rarely paid any portion of the “massage” fee. Language and cultural barriers further isolate these women, especially if they are of an illegal immigration status, making it even easier for traffickers to maintain control over them.
Despite the disturbing truths of this aspect of the commercial sex industry, media portrayals and public discourse often trivialize, and even normalize, the existence of illicit massage businesses.
This portrayal is effectively illustrated in the second episode of the third season of the Emmy-winning Max Original show, The White Lotus. Known for its commentary on social issues such as status, wealth, power, and sex, The White Lotus explores these themes by focusing on the complex dynamics that unfold between resort guests while enjoying affluent vacations.
The highly anticipated third season of The White Lotus is set in Thailand, and the second episode is titled “Special Treatments.” Among the vacationers of this season is a wealthy family of five from North Carolina, and in this episode, the oldest son receives a massage from an Asian woman working at the resort. He gets an erection while on the massage table and later expresses his annoyance and confusion over the fact that the massage “didn’t have a happy ending.”
This scene is authentically representative of the casual and degrading attitude with which people refer to illicit massage businesses. It effectively captures the stereotypical expectations, even inasmuch as these expectations are “jokes” that young men have when visiting legitimate, Asian-owned massage businesses.
Additionally, this reference and the particular use of the phrase “happy ending,” which is common in entertainment media, furthers a problematic dismissal of the true nature of illicit massage businesses. Reducing an illicit massage business to a euphemism, and a positive sounding one at that, harmfully ignores the fact that these women are fraudulently induced or coerced into engaging in commercial sex acts. By referring to the illicit massage business in a way that downplays the exploitation of those involved, media and society normalize purchasing sex, concealing the fact that these women are victims of human trafficking.
The language the media uses to explain and report on illicit massage businesses matters and impacts how both the general public and policymakers view the alarming reality that is sex trafficking. It is important to frame the issue with the legitimacy and accuracy it requires so the public has an accurate understanding of the realities of this industry.
We urge the media and law enforcement to see illicit massage businesses for what they are: hubs that facilitate and host human trafficking. Only when the world properly understands the nature of these businesses and the sex trafficking epidemic will policymakers be compelled to take meaningful action to protect victims and minimize the demand for commercial sexual exploitation.
This piece is part of our first-year law student blog series. Congratulations to author Annie Langhauser on being chosen!
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.