A Soapland (ソープランド sōpurando) is a type of brothel in Japan where male clients can engage in sexual activity with female prostitutes, although officially the clubs do business as places where the client is bathed. There are also a few soaplands specifically for female clients.[1]
There are various kinds of soaplands, and they are usually located in complexes with varying numbers of soaplands. Well known complexes are located in Susukino in Sapporo, Yoshiwara and Kabukicho in Tokyo, Kawasaki, Kanazuen in Gifu, Ogoto in Shiga and Fukuhara in Kobe but there are many other areas, especially in onsen towns. Prices for a session at a soapland vary depending on factors such as location, time of day, and length of session.
Origins
Soaplands began when explicit prostitution in Japan became illegal, as a simple form of bath where women washed men's bodies. They were originally known as toruko-buro, meaning Turkish bath. Following a campaign by Turkish scholar Nusret Sancakli denouncing the use of this name for brothels,[2] the new name "soapland" was the winning entry in a nationwide contest to rename them.[2]
Notes
Further reading
- Bornoff, Nicholas. Pink Samurai: Love, Marriage, and Sex in Contemporary Japan. New York: Pocket Books, 1991. ISBN 0671742655.
- Constantine, Peter. Japan's Sex Trade: A Journey Through Japan's Erotic Subcultures. Tokyo: Yenbooks, 1993. ISBN 4900737003.
- Talmadge, Eric. Getting Wet: Adventures in the Japanese Bath. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2006. Chapter 9: "Dirty Waters", p. 180–198. ISBN 9784770030207.
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