Can a man get a massage from a woman
Got Questions?
Account
Latest Insights
- accepting shabbos early, asking a fellow jew to do melacha, and asking a non jew
- women and kiddush, if time bound mitzvos are exempt why kiddush
- shabbos in scandinavia where sunset is very late
- driving on yom tov, and how early can kiddush be made
- A REQUEST TO EVERY SHUL, SYNAGOGUE, AND YESHIVA: PLEASE STOP CHARGING FOR ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR SEATS.


From a halachic perspective, a man getting a massage from a woman (or vice-versa) in a professional spa or medical setting is permitted. The Shulchan Aruch (Please see Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer 21:5) prohibits receiving personal services from women because in that time such acts (like washing hands and feet) were considered intimate marital tasks (see also EH 80:4, Ketubot 61a). However, the Rema there cites the Rashb”a, the Mordechai (Ketubot), and Tosafot (Kiddushin) who explain that where the service is professional and not sexual—such as bathhouse attendants—it was permitted and commonly practiced.
In modern Western culture, massages are viewed as professional health or spa services, not intimate marital acts. Therefore, following the approach of the Mordechai and Tosafot, it is halachically permitted. (It is likely not a Machloket/dispute, but rather different times and cultures) If, however, for a particular individual the experience is sexual in nature, then he/she should refrain. But if it is not, then there is no halachic concern.