Soaplands are establishments that emerged in the wake of the Japanese Anti-Prostitution Law in the 1950s. As the law prohibited “having sexual intercourse with a non-specified (unacquainted) person in exchange for compensation or the promise of such,” the brilliant idea of “first getting acquainted before sexual intercourse” arose, thereby bypassing the law.
As a result, the common brothels reinvented themselves becoming a blend of the traditional public Japanese bathhouse and the Japanese version of the Turkish bath (the well-known Turkish Hammam), of which some to a certain degree already offered sexual services besides bathing.
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Today, these blends, which found their origin at the end of the 1950s, are the “legal” brothels in Japan known as Soaplands, but until the 1980s, they were still called toruko buro, which actually means Turkish bath.
At any rate, the concept is to first offer an (erotic) bathing service (typically women who would wash men’s bodies) and thus “becoming acquainted,” after which sexual intimacy and subsequent sexual intercourse becomes a legal activity.
Mind that there are also Soaplands exclusively available for women, but those typically do not offer sexual services, but would only involve a bathing and optional massage service.
So, upon entry of a Soapland, one “picks a women” (typically from a set of photos), after which one goes to a private room together. In this stage of the session, it’s common to engage in conversation, relax, and become comfortable with each other.
The next step consists of the bathing ritual, which may be a bath or shower. This could be just comprised of being erotically washed/cleansed by your hostess, or it could consist of a mutual shower/bath, depending on the establishment. Extra services, such as manual or oral masturbation, may already be included.
Depending on the type of Soapland and the applicable rules of the establishment, it may also be mandatory for the client to take/have a (sensual erotic) massage treatment after bathing in order to become even “better acquainted.” The massage may take place on a massage table, massage mat, or on a double-sized bed.
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Now, after bathing and an optional or perhaps mandatory massage session, so-called mat play starts. It means that the client lies down on a mat or air mattress on the floor to receive a kind of body-to-body slippery treatment with lotions or oil or even an actual Nuru Massage.
This part may also involve working with the Sukebe chair, which is a small/low stool with an open space in the middle that allows the service provider to easily reach the client’s private parts and “wash” those.
After mat play, there’s usually a moment of rest and conversation, perhaps even having something to drink, all to prepare for the final phase of the experience, namely bed play.
Bed play may involve many different things, depending on the Soapland’s offerings and what’s agreed with the hostess. For instance, it can include activities like kissing, hugging, cuddling, fantasy and role-play, manual or oral stimulation, engaging in sexual positions, and/or having sexual intercourse. Following bed play, it’s common to take another “assisted” shower to wash off sweat and excess lotion or gel.
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However, mind that each “stage” of the Soapland service requires a separate fee, that is, bathing service, massage service, mat play, and bed play each have their own price.
Surely nobody is obliged to “consume” all the services, and one can decide how many of these services one participates in. Nevertheless, Soapland establishments typically do not allow clients to financially opt-out of one of the stages, meaning that the client needs to pay for all.
In any case, on the final bill for the Soapland service, one will not find the various steps stipulated separately, but just a single price for the “bathing service.” This has to do with the legal aspect of Soapland services, making sure that any suggestion of prostitution is avoided.
In practice, it means that the customer will actually pay a higher fee than is shown on the bill. It’s common that the bathing fee is paid to the establishment, and the rest of the fees (also called the service fee) is paid directly to the hostess.
