A new type of “massage parlor” offering foot-related services has emerged in Hong Kong, with some operators promoting female therapists in short skirts and targeting customers with foot fetishes, raising concerns over whether they are exploiting legal loopholes.
According to East Week, a sister publication of The Standard, some establishments advertise services such as “foot facial massage”, with online promotions featuring therapists posing with their legs raised and descriptions including terms such as “SM queen” and “student girl”. Customers can pay extra for therapists to wear socks or stockings during sessions, while some operators also promote services involving “feeding” and “foot washing”.
Some female therapists were also found to be selling used socks, bras and underwear online, with one customer claiming he booked a service at an industrial building in Sham Shui Po where the premises were divided by curtains into massage areas.
A customer who visited one of the establishments said that the therapist wore a short skirt and sat on a high stool while he lay on a mat on the floor, creating what he described as a voyeuristic experience. Another customer claimed a therapist performed a barefoot face massage, saying her feet were sweating during the session.
Another operator has also entered the market, promoting foot-based facial massages in Lai Chi Kok, Mong Kok and Tuen Mun, while offering add-on services such as “feeding” and “face washing”.
A customer who visited the operator claimed a therapist took him to a private industrial unit for a one-on-one session, where she poured liquid onto his face before using her hands and feet to rub it as part of a “washing” service.
The first operator later rebranded itself as a platform connecting independent therapists with customers, saying it had no fixed location and did not provide sexual services. It added that inappropriate behavior was prohibited, although its website continued to promote services including “pillow lap ear cleaning” and “reverse foot massage”.
Lawyer Yeung Wan-fung said massage businesses providing full-body massages involving areas from the shoulders down to above the knees require licenses under the Massage Establishments Ordinance. He said suggestive descriptions used by some operators raised concerns over whether additional services were being offered.
Kowloon West lawmaker Scott Leung Man-kwong said the services and sale of intimate items could create community nuisance, urging authorities to review regulations and strengthen oversight of online promotions involving sexual innuendo or fetish-related wording.
