On clients’ quirks…

“There is a particular yoga pose in which a person’s knees, chest and chin make contact with the surface, but not their abdomen. One of our regular clients actually holds this pose throughout a treatment. Many a time, our therapists have asked him to relax so that they can massage him. He might for a few minutes, but then promptly returns to the pose.”

“There is an elderly gentleman who comes in regularly for a scrub and massage. He asks for extra disposable underwear and even takes it home.”

On hygiene…

“Some clients have very poor personal hygiene. Body odour is a common problem. A press person who had come to write about the spa had such a dirty scalp that the white pillow had turned dark brown by the end of the session.”

On harassment…

“We had a regular client who would come in for a 60-minute session. No therapist wanted to tend to him a second time, so I asked a senior therapist what the matter was. She said he only wanted the area around his nipples massaged. We normally blacklist clients who misbehave, but he’s a well-known person, so it’s not that easy.”

“Occasionally, we get clients who move their arms during a treatment, making it look accidental but with the intent of touching the female therapist. She will warn them the first time and say that the manager will be called in if it happens again. If the client doesn’t listen, she can terminate the session.”

“We have had incidents involving male therapists as well. There was a regular female client who asked for a particular therapist, a young boy. She asked him to massage her breasts. He told her that wasn’t part of his job, but she insisted, so he obliged. During the session, she said she would give anything to have sex with him. When he told me about this, he was nearly in tears. And he quit the job.”

“We have men who make obscene requests as well, even CEOs of corporate companies. And once, a major Indian photographer asked for a ‘happy ending.’”

“Many years ago, I had a client who started making noises as though he was aroused, during a session. I told him he needed to stop or I would have to end the treatment. He stopped but within a few minutes asked me to step out of the room. When I asked why, he said he needed to pleasure himself.”

“There was a celebrity who came in late at night to the spa with a female friend and booked two separate sessions. He asked if he could be present in the treatment room while his friend was having a massage. We don’t allow this and told him that it wouldn’t be possible. But he insisted and the lady said she didn’t mind, so we honoured the request. During the session, he asked the therapist if they could both massage the lady, together. The session had to be terminated, and security was called in.”

On perception…

“Many people think a spa is a place for shady activities. There are very few who see this is as a noble profession, who come in with an open mind and have no ill intentions. Some people come in only for the chance to be touched by a woman. And there’s a lot of competition. There are plenty of standalone spas and massage parlours who do allow all sorts of things to take place. This spoils the name of the industry.”

“In India, most don’t see a visit to the spa as part of wellness. They still view it in terms of the Indian maalish.”