Pinoy PLU Signal: Masseurs, Not Masseuses

There’s something really sensual about massages. It’s no wonder then that many PLU people would occasionally, if not regularly, have a massage. There’s actually a whole industry that provides massage services that cater specifically to gay men (these gay massage parlors are often named “spas,” even if there are no actual spas in the premises) and there are even a lot of freelancing masseurs that provide home services. Some local gay indie movies that depict the massage industry include Masahista and Heavenly Touch.

Well, here’s one thing I observed: when getting a massage, gay men generally prefer to have a masseur instead of a masseuse while straight men would prefer masseuses if they can help it. Why? well, if you’re going to have somebody else touch your body all over, then one would prefer to have it done by someone you wouldn’t cringe over because of the intimacy. Of course, men, whether gay or straight, can bend this “convention” to suit their needs. For example, I’ve read of straight men asking for a masseur in order to avoid temptation, or the impression that they’re after the “extra service.”

If you happen to peer inside a common room of a spa and see a man getting a massage from a masseur, chances are that that guy is a PLU. I guess this is why I had an encounter at a “legitimate” spa with another customer. I was sleeping after my massage and woke up to find this other client caressing my body. I’ve noticed him before during my massage (in a common room) and I did not give any hint that I was PLU except that I had a masseur. Go figure.

Interesting McDo store murals

I recently stumbled onto this portfolio photoblog of commercial photographer Jake Verzosa. I also learned then that he was the photographer behind those uber-sexy Bench Blackout ads. Well, I browsed his blog’s recent posts and came across his photos that now grace the walls of McDo stores.

Being a sucker for cute semikal guys, I immediately focused my attention on two such male models on the pictures (among the other good-looking models) and recognized them. One is model Mark Onir and the other is Fil-Am R&B singer DannieBoi (more pictures). Aren’t they cute?

This reminds me that I have yet to know who is the much cuter semikal guy I saw in McDo’s previous store murals. This mural I’m talking about shows three joggers: one is the semikal dude, the other is a good-looking mestizo guy and the last one is a girl. Has anyone seen than mural and possibly know who the guy is? He’s really yummy. Hehehe.

Anyway, if you’re a Bed regular, go back to Jake’s album and try to see if you can spot the male model there that’s often seen in Bed.

Why are IDs required in bathhouses?

In this year-ago blog post by Trey (aka theTripper), there is an implied side question about the necessity of requiring an ID when going to bathhouses. (That blog post’s main topic is not really about that, but the tangential thought is worth exploring.) I’ve also wondered about that and so I hope this blog post can become a discussion point (especially since a bathhouse owner occasionally reads this blog ).

So, why does one need to present an ID when going to a local bathhouse? And why does one need to sign for a membership? Every bathhouse that I know of in Metro Manila requires membership. Why is that? In Club Bath’s FAQ we have the following Q&As providing clues:

Can I visit The Club anonymously?

No. In order to comply with city ordinances for private clubs we cannot allow our customers to purchase memberships without identifying themselves.

What do you do with the personal information I give you when I purchase a membership to The Club? Will I receive anything in the mail?

The Club is highly respectful of member privacy and we understand the need for discretion. The information you give us is for our records only and is never shared with third parties. You will never receive anything in the mail.

That actually leaves me with more questions. Why does having to visit a bathhouse be in a form of club membership wherein you have to disclose your personal information (as required by the supposed city ordinances)? Local gay dance clubs, gay bars, and gay massage parlors don’t require membership, so what’s so special about bathhouses? I’ve been to a bathhouse outside the country (I’ll talk about that in a future post) and the only requirement was the entrance fee. For ultra-discreet guys, such form of membership is a big turn-off. What does membership really accomplish?

The first possible answer that comes to mind is that the membership is for security purposes. The problem is, I have no idea what the bathhouse needs to be secure about. Does it ensure that the place doesn’t get raided or that prostitution (which is illegal) is avoided? Well, the incident at QP shows that raids are possible, even if ultimately the reason for the raid (suspected prostitution in the case of QP) is baseless.

So what do you think? Does the thought that you have to show your ID and have your personal details stored in the bathhouse’s database scare you?

Update: Check out rudeboy's comment below. It practically answered everything you need to know! And a clarification: I personally have no issues with the ID requirement but I figured that asking it would benefit those who are apprehensive about such things.

PinoyG4M is down

PinoyG4M.com is one of the sites that came about as a result of the demise of Guys4Men. While I think most G4M refugees were contented to continue on at the conquering site PlanetRomeo (aka GayRomeo), there’s a sizable number of people who hated the PlanetRomeo interface. Thus we have PinoyG4M.com (and other new social networking sites, most of which are based on Ning).

It seems that PinoyG4M managed to capture a good amount of the local PLU audience because they recently ran into hosting problems. Their hosting provided complained because the traffic on the site is causing problems on the server (most sites are usually hosted on shared servers). Their host is suggesting that they go with a dedicated hosting solution. Read the message from Bananafish, the current owner of PinoyG4M, below.

I thank you for your continued support of PinoyG4M.com. It is because of you that PG4M has become the fastest growing GBT community site in the Philippines with almost fourteen thousand registered members.

However, because of the amount of activity the PG4M website generated, our hosting company was no longer able to accommodate hosting the website. I regret to inform you that the site will be on hiatus until we are able to move to a dedicated hosting service. Rest assured all the data in the site will be kept and all member information, photos, forum posts, and messages will not be lost once we transfer to a better hosting server.

The site relaunch will also feature better features and site upgrades, as well as more activities for the site members.

In the meantime, please add PinoyG4M in Facebook and follow @PinoyG4M on Twitter for updates and news on the relaunch of the site.

Again, I apologize for the temporary closing of PinoyG4M.com. The PG4M admins and mods thank you for your continued support for the site and hope to see you again when we open a better PinoyG4M.

—Bananafish, site owner

I got an account at PG4M a few months ago and while it doesn’t fit the particular uses I had with Guys4Men before, I must say that they managed to replicate (in a fashion) most of the features of G4M. The section that I often lurk in is the PG4M forums.

To help raise funds to bring PG4M back up, the admins and owner of PinoyG4M will be holding a fund-raising event this Saturday, August 15 at the Harbour Square at CCP. Check out the event in Facebook. You might also want to read this interview of Retrogod, one of the administrators of PG4M, to learn just a bit more about this fledging PLU social networking site.

Have you ever been to the "first circuit party" in Manila?

Back in mid-2004, this upstart group called Kokun Productions organized what they billed as the “first circuit party” in Manila. The party was called “Flesh” and it was held at an events hall in Greenbelt 1 in Makati. Do you remember that party and have you attended it? (Kokun Productions eventually put up Government and the club will be celebrating would have celebrated its 5th year this October.)

Well, I have been to this party and I now only recall vague details about it. I was somewhat new to the gay clubbing scene in 2004 and my good friend from college encouraged me to accompany him to “Flesh.” Well, the party turned out to be a whizzed-up club party not much different from your usual Malate White Parties in June. It certainly didn’t feel anything at all like the infamous circuit parties of North America such as the White Party in Miami and the Black and Blue Festival in Montreal.

Looking back at “Flesh” got me wondering, are circuit parties—as they exist in America—something that can be emulated here in the Philippines? Despite the marketing, “Flesh” is definitely not a circuit party (it was just a simple party). Well, given how our culture is still pretty much conservative, I seriously doubt that the circuit parties and their decadent impression will succeed here in this country. More than that, is unbridled merrymaking a healthy way to promote gay culture?

Anyway, I’m just thinking out loud here guys. But I would love to hear your reactions and thoughts.