ABSTRACT
The Australian state of Victoria has one of the most established systems of licensed brothel prostitution in the world. However, in the urban spaces of Melbourne, there are an estimated 500 unlicensed brothels and 90 licensed premises operating, the majority of which pose as massage businesses. The chapter draws on a study of massage parlours in Melbourne that found 117 out of 165 massage businesses surveyed were considered likely to be operating as brothels. The chapter argues that the ubiquity of massage parlours in the urbanscape reinforces particular messages about gender, (hetero)sexuality, and race, which warrants their consideration in relation to the construction of space.
