A Massage Parlour Owner Explains How Bitcoin Will Help Attract Clients

Much has been made of Bitcoin's emergence into the mainstream, particularly with its recent acceptance by the online retailer Overstock. But let's not forget that one of the original reasons the cryptocurrency grew popular was that it allowed for transactional discretion—the supposedly untraceable Bitcoin was ideal for dodgy dark net deals. Now, the same principle may make Bitcoin popular for brick and mortar dens of iniquity, too.

Take the "sensual massage" industry, for instance. Although adoption of the technology in the sector remains in its embryonic stages, with only a few firms currently accepting code, it's fairly clear why one of the world’s oldest trades is warming to its youngest currency.

Ellie Young, owns Sensuous London, a Mayfair-based company that provides a "sensual, tantric massage experience" to customers from nearby hotels and residences—previously, they only accepted cash. I spoke to Young about why her massage parlour has become among the first of its kind to accept payment in cryptocurrency.

“From our perspective, there's more trust (using bitcoin) and the ladies who work with us don't have to carry cash—so it's much safer for them," she said. "From the client’s point of view, bitcoin payments are far more discreet and secure.”

As media momentum behind Bitcoin swelled at the end of 2013, she struck upon the idea of using it to finalize payment before an appointment, and the company has been offering clients the anonymous and traceless way to pay for their late-night hankerings ever since.

It’s a better arrangement for both parties. The clients no longer need to dream up Kafkaesque excuses for what embarrassing strings of xxx’s are doing on their credit card bill, while masseuses are free to set about doing what they do best without fear of being ripped off.

But with a home visit from Sensuous models costing up to £500, or BTC 0.95 (at time of writing) for the “4 Hands” service, the company was also interested in other ways of helping clients get more bang for their buck. (To be perfectly clear, the company insists its services are limited to massage. A disclaimer on their website reads, "Sensuous London do not provide sexual services of any kind. Sensuous London offer a professional masseuse visiting service. We do not provide an escort service.”)

Given that much of Sensuous' trade comes from businessmen and tourists, the fact that Bitcoin circumvents currency exchange rates and credit card fees is a draw, according to Young. And for the over-18 massage outfits, cryptocurrency means they are no longer reliant on mainstream financial institutions.

"The adult entertainment industry isn't the type of business that can work with credit cards and cheques, but Bitcoin solves these problems," Young explained. "I think there are a number of advantages to ours—and similar businesses—that can't ordinarily work with conventional online payments.”

Like dating websites, the industry has long been a hotbed for credit card fraudsters, who use the services to test stolen security codes. On the frequent occasions when these tests fail, the credit card companies issue charge-backs, which are a black mark against the business and often lead to fines and eventual blacklisting.

The lack of form-filling, lengthy credit checks and other forms of perhaps unwanted attention are also attractive to the industry. Sensuous was able to set up Bitcoin capability for free in a single day by using the open-source CMS plugins of BitPay, one of the dozens of middle-men firms queuing up to facilitate the currency's transition from trendy media talking point to a legitimate line of income for businesses.

Despite this easy adoption process, however, the broader industry—or perhaps more importantly its clients—has been slow to latch on to the potential of cryptocurrency. Sensuous has only handled a few Bitcoin transactions to date, and is among the few adult massage services in the UK to have taken the plunge.

But Young believes it’s only a matter of time before cold hard code begins to prevail.

“We hadn't had any clients asking to pay in Bitcoin beforehand, but I think that's because we are the first, and the Bitcoin economy is still quite small in London. We think demand will grow in the future as the technology matures.”

For now, cynics might say that Bitcoin’s main contribution to the massage industry to date has simply been a slice of publicity for the companies involved, as with many other companies keen to be first to the party. Nevertheless, it's an interesting reminder that Bitcoin, despite its increasing acceptance into the mainstream, still proves alluring for more discreet activities—and not only on Silk Road.