For the love of God can't we just make sex work legal, take the shame out of it, and STOP associating it with massage? PLEASE?!?
I've been a massage therapist for almost 20 years now and have got the point where the sex jokes hit with about the same impact as asking the cashier if something is free if the item doesn't scan at the register. I work in hospice, and not 3 weeks ago I had a patient's brother in law giggle and ask me if I gave his sister in law a happy ending. My inside voice said "no, sorry, she's still breathing so she has to keep dealing with you" while my outside voice pretended not to hear the comment.
There used to be a “traditional” massage salon in my neighbourhood which looked extremely legit, medical, and had zero hints that “happy endings” were on the menu.
For years I was convinced that it really was one of those shops where they do not offer the sleazy stuff. People I know went there to get massages, men and women. I never went because I’m convinced massages are snake oil and a waste of money.
Then one day they were raided and closed down by the local authorities. Turned out despite the upstanding image, they did offer the happy ending version, you just had to know the “unofficial” phone number and codeword.
So that didn’t exactly help to solidify my trust that there are massage businesses that are truly not offering any kind of sex work ever.
Not judging it, but the image they have is earned to say the least.
Therein lies part of the problem. A large number of those places that disguise themselves as legitimate clinics are actually covers for human trafficking.
Depending on where you are, becoming a massage therapist can take a couple years and cost thousands of dollars, require exams, and licensing. Legitimate massage therapists aren't going to risk throwing everything away for a couple extra bucks for a handy. If sex work was legal, people wouldn't have to masquerade as much behind legitimate business.
As for massage being snake oil, I guess it depends on what the person is claiming it's going to do. Like I said, I've been doing this almost 20 years now, and have worked in health clubs (mostly doing sports/injury recovery/rehab stuff), education (teaching massage, anatomy, physiology, pathology), and now working hospice the last several years. Massage can be great for pain relief, relaxation, and general comfort. For some people with circulatory issues like lymphedema, massage can help reduce the fluid settling in their extremities. Unfortunately historically there's a lot of questionable and downright bullshit practices that have been attached to massage, but massage on it's own? If you like to be touched, it can be a good thing.
Legalizing it won't take the shame out. There is no such thing as serious and dignified sex. We're animals that have a really fucking stupid and silly desire that we're aware of but can't just not want anyhow. Best we can do is try not to take it seriously.
You're getting dragged in the discussion below, and while I think I understand your more specific points below, I'd like to offer some perspective on this general point instead of continuing down those lines.
Here you've set the tone by calling sex inherently shameful. Not being serious/dignified isn't the same as shameful. For me, shame comes with some moral failing. I'm ashamed when I disappoint someone, or get angry for something petty, or act petty myself. Not because of being undignified. I'm not ashamed when I fart, that's just my body. However, I am ashamed when I fart in a public place, because it's smelly and few people deserve to suffer like that.
So my counterargument to your perspective here: sex isn't inherently shameful, but it can be because of context. Banging too loud when having guests over is shameful: not because of being loud, but because of the lack of consent - being too loud when everyone around consents to that kind of behavior is fine. No shame if you're in a place where everyone is hooking up, and everyone knows the walls are thin. That's just fun. Not dignified, not serious, but fun. So the sex part isn't the problem. Not inherently.
To the main point - if everyone would just be cool about sex work, I honestly think folks wouldn't ascribe shame to participating in sex work. I've lived in small communities in the Amazon where there was essentially no shame associated with consensual non monogamy, outside of the religious folk. Different social structure and beliefs in that region made it much more open...so I heartily reject calling sex a shameful act. That's too much moral baggage to ascribe to such a natural, zesty enterprise.
Not that it's that common I'm sure, but my university girlfriend's best friend could think herself to orgasm. She inspired me to try it, and I've come (haha!) pretty close over the years, but never quite there. Might be because I'm a guy. It's certainly not going to happen in my current middle-age.
Oh it’s a thing that can be done by some people, maybe even most, though very few can without training. The human brain is both very susceptible to inputs and the thing that controls physiological responses. I know training this is a pretty common goal among hypnosis fetishists
My sister was drying out some mushrooms and it made the whole apartment smell like cum, which made me horny AF and almost bring me to orgasm just smelling it for so long.
To be fair, not a single character in the Dune universe is a regular human. They're the equivalent of those plum-sized GMO strawberries at the grocery store.
I'm pretty sure that was in God Emperor. Heretics is the one where that same man acquires super sex powers that are so powerful he can overwhelm the sex powers of a clan of violent sex women and subjugate them to his will.