Four Hands Massage, and What Two People Actually Do

Four hands massage is exactly what the name says and almost nothing like what people picture. It is two people massaging one person at the same time, and the interesting part is not the arithmetic.

Why two is not simply twice one

A single masseuse works in sequence. She does your shoulders, then your back, then your legs, and your attention follows her hands because there is only one thing to follow.

Two working in mirror stops that from happening. Your attention has nowhere to settle, gives up trying, and what people report afterwards is a strange floaty disengagement that a normal massage does not produce. That effect is the product. It is not a bonus on top of a regular massage; it is a different experience that happens to use the same oil.

Synchronised against alternating

There are two ways to do it and they feel nothing alike.

• Synchronised. Both work symmetrically, mirroring each other down your left and right. This is the one that produces the disorienting effect and the one worth asking for.
• Alternating. One works your upper body while the other works your legs, swapping over. More coverage in less time, much less of the effect.

Most listings do not distinguish, so say which you want. Two people who have worked together before will do the first properly; two who have not will drift into the second within ten minutes.

Where it stops being a massage

In an adult booking it usually does not stay one, and pretending otherwise is silly. What separates a good four hands booking from a disappointing one is that the massage is genuinely a massage for a decent stretch of it rather than a two minute preamble.

Ask for ninety minutes minimum. An hour split between two people and then progressing is not enough time for the massage part to do anything at all, and the massage part is what you are paying double for.

What it costs

Roughly the two hourly rates added together, sometimes with a small reduction. In London that means £500 to £700 for the hour at mid-market rates, and more in Belgravia, Sloane Square and Chelsea.

Nobody discounts this heavily and you should be wary if someone does. Two people are giving up the same hour they would otherwise each be booked for.

How it relates to a duo

A duo booking and a four hands massage overlap but are not the same thing. Four hands describes a massage technique performed by two people. A duo describes a booking with two people that may or may not involve a massage at all.

In practice most four hands bookings in London are made as duos, because the same pairs offer both. If the massage matters, say so when you book, because the default assumption will be the other thing. The duo listings show who works together, and bi duo and MMF are separate options with their own listings.

Practical notes

• Book the pair, not two individuals. Two people who have never worked together cannot synchronise, and that is the entire technique.
• Incall is easier. Two people travelling to a hotel doubles the outcall surcharge and halves the chance of a table.
• Say nothing during it. Talking pulls your attention back to one voice and undoes exactly the effect you booked.

If you want the massage itself to be the event rather than the introduction, read which massage is which first and pick the style before you pick the pair. Couples bookings are a different arrangement again.