Story time …

Yesterday I woke with a sore shoulder after sleeping in a funny position, so after work I headed into town to get a massage to try and fix it. The place I went to was recommended by a (male) coworker; it’s a segregated sauna with other spa facilities, so I figured safe enough for me to just wander in on my own.

It’s hot, so I was wearing shorts and a low-cut t-shirt, all my tattoos were on show but other than that I looked respectable.

Well, the lady behind the front desk showed me their price list in English, and I was trying to make a decision, when the manager came up and started talking to me.

I mentioned that I was only there for a massage, and he reached out and held me by the back of my neck, and then quietly told me that he could give me a big discount on their by-the-hour rooms.

Not only did he think that I was scoping the place out as somewhere to bring clients, but that I’d be cheap or inexperienced enough to go with him in exchange for a “discount” to boot. Plus, as if I’d not know about how to assert dominance over someone by touching their neck.

I got him to back off, and I got my massage, but it’s been really bugging me today … this is typical in every city around the world, and while I may have made my own choices when I was young, most girls who end up doing sex work don’t.

This was an uncomfortable reminder of just how tilted the world is against women, everywhere >:-(