The massage parlor where I worked was one of the first Thai massage parlors to open in London. The location is just a short walk from Harrods, in the next alley. The parlor is not on the main street but on the second floor of a building, so you have to look carefully for the sign to spot it. Like many businesses in London that don’t have a storefront, you need to ring the bell for the staff to open the door. Working as a receptionist at a massage parlor is generally uneventful on weekdays. The main duties of a receptionist each day include cleaning the shop to keep it presentable, answering the phone to book massage appointments for customers, managing daily accounts, and overseeing the shop’s overall condition. This also includes handling any incidents that may arise, where the receptionist must take charge of the situation.
One day, I experienced an incident while on duty as the receptionist. Two men, tourists from Dubai—one around 50 years old and the other about 30, and they were relatives (I knew this because before receiving a massage, customers must fill out a form with their contact information and country of origin)—walked in as walk-in customers. The shop had availability, but not at the same time, so they had to take turns for their massages. They each booked a 30-minute massage, and the shop only offers two types of massages in this timeframe: either a neck-shoulder-back massage or a foot massage, which the customers were aware of.
However, I immediately felt uncomfortable as these two men appeared to be harassing me from the moment they entered the shop. They looked me up and down and one of them pointed at me, saying, “I want you to massage me!” Fortunately, the owner was present that day and immediately responded, saying, “That’s not possible. It’s my girls. You don’t have the right to choose your masseuse. We will select a masseuse for you.” But they didn’t give up and continued to ask why I couldn’t be the one to give the massage. The owner gave a final response that impressed me: “She’s not here to give massages. Her job is to work here at the front desk. If you want a massage, we will assign a masseuse to you, but if you want to choose a woman, you can go to another shop.” Eventually, the man relented. After they both went into the massage rooms, the owner told me that if anyone ever comes in and makes us feel uncomfortable or asks about sexual services, I can tell them to go elsewhere for their services.
Our shop, like others I’ve seen, has signs posted stating that no sexual services are offered. However, what’s unique about our shop is that the signs are not only in English but also in Arabic, due to the high number of tourists from Arab countries in the area. The incident that occurred that day was the first time I encountered something like this, but I’ve experienced similar situations with other customers from Arab countries. These include having money thrown at me when they paid for the massage, being looked up and down with strange stares, requests to choose the masseuse, and questions about my personal life, such as marriage and age.