Inside the $1 billion business of massage parlors

[willychichi]

In the happy-endings business, it pays to put on a happy face.

Claire knows this well. On a sunny fall morning, she took the train from her home on Long Island to a storefront in Chelsea, where the windows were taped over with yellowing paper. A maroon sign with white letters provided the only clue about what business was being conducted here: “Spa.” Inside, it was as dark as a movie theater, the paper and heavy curtains blotting out any sunshine. The smell of sweat rose from the carpet. Soon the place would fill with customers, so Claire changed into a strappy zebra-print dress and steeled herself with a smile for the job of giving massages, and occasionally more, to a parade of men, something she does for 80 hours a week.

Read more: http://nypost.com/2015/04/05/inside-the ... e-parlors/