History of Nuru Massage | Origin and Development

Nuru Massage — sometimes also called Nuru Gel Massage — is an unclothed Sensual Erotic Body-to-Body Massage in which both the masseur and receiver are covered with an odorless, colorless, and tasteless massage lotion or gel called Nuru gel.

By many it’s thought that Nuru Massage first appeared in Japan in the red light district of the city of Kawasaki (or alternatively in Yoshiwara – Tokyo), and from there spread to the rest of Japan and finally to other countries. The sources about when Nuru Massage was developed vary in their accounts, ranging from the late 1950s to the end of the 20th century.

Actually, nobody really knows who invented Nuru Massage or where and when exactly. Yet, what seems to be clear is that it comes from Japan (or at least first became very popular in Japan). This would make sense as a logical development within the adult entertainment industry, notably as a result of Japan’s anti-prostitution law.

As it is, in Japan prostitution is officially an illegal activity (since the implementation of the new prostitution law in 1957), but the legal definition of prostitution is limited to paid coitus, that is, paid sexual intercourse (notably vaginal intercourse) with an “unspecified or unknown person.”

In practice, it means that sexual services such as oral sex, anal sex, and all other non-coital sexual activities are basically legal in Japan, which includes offerings of Nuru Massage, Naked Body to Body Massage, and Soapy Massage, as long as they’re not finished with sexual intercourse.

The above gave rise to the opening of establishments that were later called Soaplands, which were bathhouse services where women would wash men’s bodies in exchange for payment but without actually offering sexual intercourse. Or, if they did after washing men or after having given a massage, they would then already “know” this person (not being “a stranger” any longer), which would circumvent the prostitution law.

The latter (offering intercourse after “knowing” each other for just an hour or so) is not forbidden in Japan but is still seen as abusing a loophole in the law, a practice which is sometimes prosecuted. Nonetheless, the Soapland industry flourished (until today) offering a range of “bathing services,” Body Slide Massage, Soapy Massage, Sukebe Massage, and yes, also Nuru Massage, which all fits perfectly in an already rich Japanese tradition of bathing — think of Onsen Bathing and Ofuru Bathing — as a relaxation and purifying activity.

Hence, it seems certainly plausible that Nuru Massage gradually and naturally emerged and developed within the domain of Japanese Soaplands in order to cater for a more sensual and highly erotic form of massage, while not being specifically “invented” by someone at some specific moment in Kawasaki.

In fact, Nuru Massage might as well simply have been an evolution of the unclothed Body to Body Massage that was enriched by using oils, foams, creams, balms, gels or lotions to facilitate easy and pleasurable sliding and gliding, which perhaps was a practice that first became popular in Kawasaki or Tokyo.

Another question that arises is when the use of Nuru gel came into existence and who invented the mixture. Also in this case there’s no reliable information to be found. Yet, typically the gel contains Nori seaweed extract (or other types of seaweeds), which is an edible seaweed that has been used in Japanese cuisine for centuries. The earliest recorded info about the use of Nori seaweed in Japan appears in the 8th century. So, it could well be that Nuru gel originates in Japan to be used as an aid in massage treatments.

At any rate, since the beginning of the 21st century, Nuru Massage has quickly spread beyond Japan to the rest of Asia and farther to North America and Europe, actually now being offered around the globe as a Sensual Erotic Massage modality. Apart from being offered in massage parlors, Nuru Massage has also entered the private bedroom where it’s practiced between partners to spice-up their sex lives, as erotic foreplay, or as a sensual and pleasurable form of relaxation and increasing intimacy.

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