Negotiating Risk: How Women Working in Massage Parlours Preserve Their Sexual and Psychological Health

Abstract

This small exploratory study was conducted in a heavily populated urban area in the Midlands region of England. Through semistructured interviews with women working in massage parlours, we investigated the health risks inherent in the work and the strategies adopted by the women to overcome these, as well as examining circumstances where these strategies could be compromised. The effects of working in the sex industry on women's relationships and lives outside also emerged as the research progressed. We found that, in addition to preserving their sexual health, women's main concern was with the separation of home and work.