A happy ending massage is a massage that starts with the usual full-body rubdown but ends with a sex act, usually a hand job or a blowjob. In literature, a happy ending describes a story where the heroes achieve the best possible outcome and wrap up loose ends while forest animals look on in approval. In the world of erotic massage, however, a happy ending is entirely different, illegal in most places, and definitely not suitable for innocent animals.
Erotic massage has been around for centuries. Ancient Greek doctors prescribed it to patients, for instance, and it remains an important part of contemporary Tantric practice. Calling a hand job or blowjob at the end of a traditional message a happy ending , on the other, um, hand, is a 20th-century innovation. The slang term spread in the s, when happy ending messages became stereotyped as a service offered at Asian massage parlors or in late-night Bangkok backrooms. And, law enforcement occasionally make headlines by busting illicit erotic parlors and their customers.
Happy ending massages are often the subject of popular humor. A episode of the TV comedy Robot Chicken , for example, played on the stereotype of the Asian masseuse offering a happy ending. The happiness came not from a sad, spiritless hand job, but from the hot, deep-fried goodness of egg rolls.
Massage providers who offer erotic services may use happy ending to discreetly offer their services, and their clients may use the phrase to request said services.
Happy ending is also a euphemism for people online who are seeking out erotic massage services and reviewing them on forums like Rubmaps or the now-defunct Backpage.
