I feel fortunate to have interviewed the Taoist Masseur, a man who has a great line of work and is passionate about what he does:
What is your name?
Artie
What is your age?
I’m 40
Would you like me to provide contact info and/or a link to your website in the interview?
Sure. My website is www.taoistmasseur.com
Do you call your therapy ‘taoist massage?’
I call it Taoist Massage because the techniques I use are from a short course I did in Amsterdam from a therapist who learned from the Body Electric Group.
What do you do, what does it include?
I offer a sensual massage with Taoist massage strokes techniques. It includes a full body massage (from Swedish to Deep Tissue – Sports massage if needed in some specific area) and energy work. The goal is to spread the sexual energy concentrated in your genitals to your whole body, providing a full body orgasm.
What percentage of a typical session is focused on the genitals?
I would say that 40% is sensual, but the purpose of the massage is to spread the sexual energy from the genitals to the whole body. The genitals are the source for the energy and genital manipulation is a big part of it, but not the focus. The body as a whole is.
Do you ever have female clients?
No, I only meet with male clients at the moment.
What are the benefits of this massage?
There are many different benefits from this massage. From physical relaxation to experiencing a full body orgasm, it can relieve you from stress, tensions, blockages, offers you a better understanding of your body, even discovering new erogenous zones that you may have never noticed; also boosts your sexual confidence and self-esteem, because you don’t need to worry about performing, but allow yourself to be taken care of by experienced hands.
How did you become interested in taoist massage?
I’ve been always interested in massage. When I was living in Amsterdam, I found an ad about Taoist Massage and was intrigued by it. I messaged the massage therapist and asked if he would be willing to teach the technique. He then set up a small group and I was part of it. It was an amazing experience.
Did you got to school for this therapy?
Only for my ITEC qualification when I realized it wasn’t going to be a temporary job.
Do you ever become horny during massages?
Sexual energy is infectious. Like a smile. When you’re working with such powerful energy, there’s no way to not be involved in the flow that’s being created by you.
Can you tell us about your most eccentric clients, or most unusual sessions?
For the massage I provide, there’s a routine to be followed. And although every session can be felt different, it’s mainly about allowing yourself to surrender to someone’s hands and techniques. I’ve witnessed all types of reactions, but nothing that would be unusual. You have to be open minded if you’re working with sexual energy and they manifest differently from one person to another.
Do you have as much work as you’d like, or are you striving for more clients?
It varies. I’ve tried to determine the months where I would have less clients, but it keeps changing every year. With the current situation, I’ve limited the number of clients I see a week, so it’s been OK for now. New clients are always welcome.
Is this your full time or only line of work?
It’s my full time and only job. It’s been for the past 11 years.
What percentage of your clients are repeat business?
I believe around 75-80%.
Do most men ejaculate at the end of their treatments?
Yes, the majority of them prefer to ejaculate, which is not something that is supposed to happen during a classic Taoist Massage because one of the characteristics of the technique is semen retention. For the first two years I’ve been offering the Taoist Massage with the Big Draw at the end. Because of my inexperience in explaining the purpose of the TEM (Taoist Erotic Massage), I felt that they were expecting something different and many left not necessarily satisfied. I then decided to offer the option of “explosion”. Instead of imploding the energy with the Big Draw, ejaculation could be an enjoyable finale for the massage. And it is something that most of them decide to happen, although I do have plenty who prefer to keep the energy flowing.
What percentage of your clientele would you guess identifies, as gay, bi, or straight?
Because it’s a welcoming space, I do not ask their sexual orientation, so unfortunately don’t have the answer. I know it does attract a lot of self-identified straight men because of the non-invasive nature of the massage. But the majority are gay men.
Do you identify as gay, bi or straight?
I’m gay.
What do you most like about this work?
I like how this work allows me to meet different type of people from all walks of life. You get to hear so many different life stories from diverse backgrounds. Also working with energy is a great way to experience and witness different sensations.
What do you least like about this work?
The no-shows without any explanation. I’m quite accommodating and understanding to last minute change of plans, but being ghosted is a bit frustrating. Luckily it is rare to happen.
How often do you receive taoist massages?
Sadly not enough.
What do your friends think about your profession?
They know what I do. I believe after working with it for some many years, they now realize how serious I am about it and they’re absolutely fine with it.
In the US, one can’t do any sort of massage involving the genitals legally. What would be crossing the line in England?
What I offer is legal in UK. But it seems that if you’re working with some other person at the same location, it can be described as a brothel and it is illegal, which is something that some organizations are trying to change because of the safety of sex workers, mainly for women, who end up in a very vulnerable situation and being targeted by criminals.
What would you like to be doing, or what would you like different ten years from now?
I’d like to start offering workshops. It’s something that I’ve been planning for a while and will start to arrange something for next year hopefully.
What should I have asked that I wasn’t smart enough to ask?
I’d like to say that one of the secrets of having a great massage is to be open minded. Have the expectation that it will be a good experience, but being mindful is key to a successful massage. This is because many times when we have a specific idea of what we want to happen, we end up not paying attention to the journey and could be missing out in new sensations and experiences. And know that you can and should communicate with your massage therapist throughout. The best reward is seeing your happy face at the end.
