A Consumer's Guide to Male Hustlers (9 page)

I write this because I believe that masseuses and, later, masseurs, were the "pioneers" of today's sex workers who operate out of their homes. I am sure that Swedish massage, per se, had no connection with the sex trade. It was the advertised phone numbers of masseuses operating from their homes, and the almost nude massage that eroticized the profession. The Swedish masseuses did not become prostitutes. Rather, prostitutes became masseuses.

Swedish massage is somewhat austere and dour. It is meant to be therapeutic, not touchy-feely. In the 1960s, the Human Potential Movement introduced other types of massage. The most famous style, Esalen massage, was born at Big Sur (a few hours' drive south of San Francisco). These types of massage, while not sexual, were supposed to be sensual. The emphasis was on intimacy between the massage giver and the recipient, rather than on therapy. The massage was intended to make recipients feel good instead of only improving their health.

Massage schools were established to teach practitioners the new massage styles. Though these various styles were not meant to be sexual in nature, the very strict protocol of Swedish massage—always covering and
ignoring
the genital area—was dispensed with.

These new massage techniques coincided with gay publications that featured descriptive advertisements for various services. Out of this union was born the "massage" section in the classified ads. Following are three illustrations that tell the story.

1. This is a massage ad only, it does not matter how attractive I am. It does not matter how hung you are.
²

²
.
Fag Rag
(Austin, Texas), Issue 97, September 27,1996, p. 45. (Name and phone number omitted.)

2. EROTIC 24 HOURS

CMT Massage
³

³
.
Bay Area Reporter
(San Francisco), April 17, 1997, p. 52. (Name and phone number omitted.)

3. X-Defined, X-Lean, X-Safe

FULL RELEASE

Pro-frontal massage by nude stallion boy

Smooth, young, dark-haired, bubble-butt, hung

$50+ outcalls/hotels
⁴

⁴
. Ibid.

Masseur number 1 is a marvelous example of the frustrations a "legitimate" massage practitioner has to endure. All he wants to do is to make his living giving massages. (We know that he is a licensed masseur because he advertises in a classified section titled
Licensed Massages
.) However, his clients insist that he perform more than a massage. In his short ad he describes two of his clients' sales pitches for more than just a massage: (a) You are such a good- looking guy. What a shame to waste it on just massaging me; (b) I am so well-hung, baby, that you
want
to do more than just give me a dumb massage. This masseur is so obsessed with not wanting to perform sexual "enhancements" that, in the process, he forgets to tell what sort of a massage he does offer.

I have no quarrel with masseur number I. Every practitioner is entitled to give the massage he wants. Unfortunately for him, he will be penalized by his clients for his choice. Nonsexual masseurs, regardless of the quality of their massage, make a lot less than the ones who, such as masseur number 2, give an erotic massage.

What is an "erotic massage?" Well, it is synonymous with a "release massage" or a "full-body massage." In plain English, sometime during the massage, the masseur jerks the client off, or massages him while the client masturbates on his own.

For whatever it is worth, here is my take on all of this: Were it not for religious squeamishness—equating ejaculation with sin—
all
masseurs would "release" their clients if the latter wanted it. Massage is supposed to be a
relaxing
experience and many men feel more relaxed after ejaculating.
Personally
, I do not see the difference between massaging toes and fingers and handling a penis.

From his ad one understands tacitly that masseur number 2 is willing to bring the client to a climax. What else he is willing to do is discretionary. The ad is confusing, but it is meant to be so. Masseur number 2 deliberately straddles the line between a massage professional and a sex worker. His clients deliberately straddle the line between remunerating a legitimate professional, and paying for sex. Paradoxically, all of this works to the disadvantage of genuine masseurs. They are paid less than hustlers while working much harder physically. This paradox leads us to the third ad.

Masseur number 3 is willing to give an erotic massage to those who are satisfied with just that (he uses both "release" and "frontal" to make sure that even the dullest reader would get his drift) but, if a client wants more, number 3 has it all: defined, lean, handsome, and hung! Of course, the clients need to understand that the fees are $50 and up depending on the extras thrown in by the masseur. With his "bubble butt" who knows where all of this will end!

It is worth noting that masseur number 3 also claims to be a "pro." Massage, unlike hustling, is not so much a vocation as a skill that can be learned. In the best of all possible worlds, the client will get a handsome, young, hung,
well-trained
masseur. But we do not live in a perfect world. It is rare that the cute and sexy masseur knows a lot about the massage part of his craft. I have been massaged by very cute masseurs whose massage was either like an S/M encounter somewhat beyond my limits, or an annoying tickling session administered by clumsy fingers.

Sexual massages are all too often frustrating to both the masseur and the client. A trained masseur strains himself less physically than an amateur, because he has studied techniques to conserve his energy. But as soon as he has gone through the training, which is long and expensive, the masseur feels (or is brainwashed) that, as a professional, he need not provide sexual services ... at least, not beyond "release." The untrained masseur, who is physically exhausted after two or three clients, wants to get it over with as fast as possible by making the client climax without much massaging. For this, he is willing to take some shortcuts.

Because of the ambiguity of the massage business the ground rules need to be established before the session. Otherwise, the client is likely to get less (sometimes more!) than he expects. I will discuss later, in
precise
detail, how to negotiate, on the phone, with a prospective masseur.

Very good masseurs with sex appeal, who are willing to stretch the massage envelope a bit (e.g. allow clients to blow them a little just before coming) can make a reasonable living. They tend to have repeat business, and educate their clients to make appointments in advance and at reasonable hours. Masseurs can, and do, engage in their profession much longer than hustlers.

* * *

Operating a hustling business out of one's home is a relatively new phenomenon that started in the 1970s. It has been made possible by publications that are willing to accept descriptive ads about the services provided by hustlers. Answering machines and, later, pagers and cellular telephones, have made it possible for hustlers to run their businesses out of their homes in an
efficient
manner. The new venue also raised the acceptable age for hustlers. Guys in their forties advertise on a regular basis as "models," though one rarely sees them hustling on the street.

I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed the upgrading of the hustling profession—from street hustlers to models working out of their homes. Other professionals change their title when they upgrade their services. For instance, the lowly chiropodists who used to cut toenails and remove corns and calluses upgraded themselves to podiatrists—foot doctors—within my lifetime. Hustlers becoming models is fine with me.

Following are two illustrations demonstrating why I consider this upgrading such a boon to the gay community.

Within the last two years I traveled to London and to Honolulu. Both times I was with friends. For a number of reasons, cruising was not on our agenda, although sexual encounters were very much on my individual agenda. What I wanted was to make an in call, that is, visit the hustler at his residence.

In Honolulu, a limited number of models were listed in the local gay publication. The first guy I spoke to appeared to be a good match. For a daytime in call he charged $80. He lived in Waikiki, one block away from the beach, in a high-security building. The only way I was going to get into the building was for him to admit me personally, after I signed in with the security guard! He lived in a spacious one-bedroom apartment, very tastefully decorated.

His elegant accommodations really surprised me. I had been in Honolulu many times. In the 1960s and 1970s I ran around with quite a few
kama'aima
(locals). For mysterious reasons, I was very popular with them and had no need to resort to hustlers. They were all guys who worked in the tourist industry. I was in many of their homes. Rents were very high, and they had to share their austere accommodations with roommates. And now here is a model operating out of such elegant quarters.

The model, Glenn, was a tall guy, originally from mainland China, in his late twenties. He was not exactly my type. I looked around the living room and saw a large computer, a laptop, and computer floppies strewn all over the desk. In addition to being a model, Glenn was an independent computer consultant. He found out that I had been a hypnotherapist until a few years earlier. The result was an animated conversation. I asked him about computers, and he wanted to know more about hypnosis. We talked for at least half an hour before entering his bedroom.

It mattered little that he was not exactly my type. From our phone conversation he knew what I wanted, and he performed his part competently and in a caring way. Before I left he gave me a card with his phone and fax numbers, as well as his e-mail address.

In London, where there were lots of model listings in the gay paper, it took some ten phone calls before I found someone with whom I thought I would be compatible, and whose fees I could afford. Arthur, originally from Barbados, was a dancer by profession. We agreed on a fee that converted into U.S. $83. He was willing to give me a discount because the taxi ride to his place was an expensive proposition.

Arthur lived in a small flat, in a somewhat shabby house. Soon enough I forgot all about Arthur's living circumstances and concentrated on him. He was a strikingly handsome black man in his early thirties, and had one the most beautiful bodies I had ever been intimate with! He had a perfect dancer's build: strong and lean, with supple, rather than bulging, muscles. Unlike his Hawaiian colleague, he was not a great conversationalist. He undressed me immediately, and, by way of starting the session, gave me a back rub. Then we really had a wild session.

It came as no surprise to me that both models were excellent sexual partners who had a vocation for their profession. This is true of most models. Street hustlers can be selective of their clients, just as much as the clients can pick and choose their hustlers. A street hustler can walk away from a client he does not like. The model is stuck with whomever he made the appointment, including clients who are drunk or on drugs or just obnoxious. Models are psychologically better prepared to satisfy their clients. As a rule, when a model both knows in advance what the client's needs are, and agrees to satisfy them, he will do a good job. In my experience, it is rare that a model will turn out to be a sexual dud.

In both Honolulu and London I could have found a street hustler. It would have taken much longer, and then the sex might have been inadequate. (But a hand-picked hustler, unlike a model, would be
certain
to be my physical type!) Also, picking up a street hustler always entails a certain amount of danger. By making an in call to the model's home this danger is all but eliminated.

With all the advantages that models offer, how is it that street hustlers are still in demand, even in large metropolitan areas where there are many sex ads?

Why one person is sexually attracted to another is a matter of sexual chemistry. (Not a scientific term, but we all know how it works.) Sometimes, the chemistry is not there even though, in theory, it ought to be. For instance, an ad reading:

Tall, slim, muscular, well-hung blond, blue eyes,

30 y/o, versatile, aims to please, in/out calls.

may turn you on. You talk to the guy on the phone, everything clicks into place, and you make a date for an out call. Then, when he arrives at your home, you just do not feel any chemistry. By then it is difficult to back out. This lack of instant chemistry simply could not happen with a street hustler whom you see and talk to in person.

The client's disappointment upon visual inspection is frequently created by the model's statements over the telephone. Sometimes there is an honest difference of perception. What one person describes as an "athletic body" may seem thin and under-exercised to another. But very often hustlers' statements are outright lies to clinch a sale. (Counter-productively, some clients lie to their prospective hustlers, a subject I will take up later.)

In my experience the lies are mostly age-related. The reason is that age is in the eye of the beholder, whereas height, weight, skin color, length of penis, etc., are factual observations. Street hustlers lie when they are underage.
⁵
Models almost always shave a few years off. Sometimes they pretend to be even younger than they are. A twenty- two-year-old might claim to be twenty. It does get serious when models understate their age by fifteen years!