One thing to be aware of is that there is no official licensing requirement for massage in Buenos Aires or anywhere else in Argentina. When making an appointment for a massage feel free to ask the provider where they studied, for how long and any other questions that might give you an idea of their level of training, or better yet go to someone who comes recommended.
Digital nomads, expats and remote workers will discover there are a handful of professional massage therapists with overseas licensing who come and go through Buenos Aires. The new law called for the continued monitoring of newspaper ads to make sure they were compliant.
It proved to be too little too late as the brothel and massage parlor industry was moving online anyway and as a side effect, it took a major source of revenue away from already economically-strapped newspapers. It should also be noted that there are also many foreign men who come to Buenos Aires specifically for this reason. What makes it more confusing is that the massage parlors that function as brothels will often offer other esthetic beauty services and even provide an impressive list of the types of massage they specialize in, such as the list below:.
Massage parlors that operate as brothels in Buenos Aires even have Google Business Pages, as would any legitimate business. These businesses are mostly allowed to operate, but in tune with the purpose of banning sexual service ads, there are occasional raids press release — in Spanish on some of these establishments, especially if there are many neighbor complaints pertaining to one particular business.
When conducting raids, they work in tandem with the national Rescue Program for Victims of Trafficking and sometimes the prosecutor files charges of human trafficking. If you look at the reviews of some of these Buenos Aires spas there will be lots of reviews from women about being pampered with their great pedicure or massage. The Argentine Association of Professional Massage has fought since , unsuccessfully so far, for legislation that would license or certify massage therapists.
