Honouring Heritage. Celebrating Healing. Standing in Solidarity.
We invite you to join us in celebrating the Asian Massage Festival, a tribute to the rich cultural heritage of massage in Asian communities.
This festival honours the healing traditions, skilled practices, and resilience of massage workers—especially Asian women—who have carried this knowledge across generations as a form of care, survival, and cultural continuity.
Despite its deep roots in holistic wellness and community care, Asian massage has been widely stigmatized, and criminalized. Due to systemic racism, classism, and language barriers, many low-income migrant Asian women are excluded by restrictive laws and policies. As a result, their work is often treated as illegal or associated with human trafficking, making them vulnerable to policing, discrimination, and criminalization. Massage parlours are increasingly targeted by government and anti-trafficking campaigns, leading to raids, fines, and shut downs.
Asian massage workers are neither criminals nor trafficking victims—they are workers.
Massage is not a crime—it is a practice of healing, dignity, and cultural wisdom. It provides not only physical care, but also economic independence and social connection for many marginalized women.
Join us in recognizing massage as a vital part of Asian heritage, and in standing against the stigma, racism, and criminalization faced by Asian massage workers. Let us celebrate with pride, dignity, and solidarity.
How You Can Support
Listen to the voices of Asian massage workers
Respect their experiences, stories, and expertise. Share their voices and show your solidarity—for example, by signing petitions and amplifying their messages.
Join the movement to support Asian massage workers
Speak out against the criminalization, anti-Asian racism, and discrimination targeting massage parlours. Call on the government to end racial profiling, overregulation, and the forced closure of these businesses.
Support local Asian massage workers
Book a massage—honour a healing tradition, support the workers, and invest in community well-being.
Join us in recognizing massage as an important part of Asian heritage and in standing against the discrimination and stigma faced by Asian massage workers. Let us celebrate with pride, dignity, and solidarity.
Honouring Asian Massage Heritage
The Cultural and Social Significance of Asian Massage
Massage is far more than a service—it is a powerful tradition rooted in healing, care, and cultural wisdom. Across Asia and its diasporas, massage has long played a vital role in community life, health practices, and economic survival. To truly understand and support Asian massage workers, we must first recognize the deep heritage behind their work.
1. Ancient Healing Tradition
Massage has been practiced for thousands of years across many Asian cultures—such as Tui Na , Shiatsu, Anma, Abhyanga,
Japanese Anma. These traditions view massage not only as a physical therapy which enhance the circulation, muscle relaxation, and pain relief but as a practice that restores balance, improves health, and nurtures well-being.
2. Cultural Knowledge Passed Through Generations
Massage techniques have been passed down from generation to generation, often taught through apprenticeships. It reflects ancestral knowledge, deeply rooted in Asian philosophies of harmony between mind, body, and spirit.
3. Spiritual and Communal Care
In many Asian cultures, massage is a form of caregiving and community support. It is used to nurture the elderly, support childbirth, relieve pain, and promote healing—making it a deeply communal and relational practice. Massage also plays an important role in releasing stress from work or family life and improving mental health, helping individuals restore balance and well-being in their everyday lives.
4. Economic and Social Survival
For many Asian women and migrants, especially in the diaspora, massage is an accessible and respected livelihood. It provides economic independence and a way to use skilled, culturally rooted knowledge to survive in often hostile or marginalizing environments.
5. Often Misunderstood and Stigmatized
Despite its historical importance, massage—especially as practiced by Asian women—has often been racialized, criminalized, and misrepresented. This stigma erases its cultural value and contributes to discrimination and violence.
In summary:
Massage is an integral part of Asian cultural heritage. It represents healing, tradition, resilience, and skilled labor. Honoring this heritage means respecting the practice, and the workers who continue it today.
亚洲按摩节
传承文化，庆祝疗愈，团结同行
我们诚邀您参加亚洲按摩节，共同庆祝按摩在亚洲社区中丰富而悠久的文化遗产。
本节日旨在向亚洲传统疗愈技艺、专业技能和按摩師的坚韧精神致敬——尤其是那些将这一知识代代相传的亚洲女性，她们将按摩作为一种关爱方式、生存手段和文化延续的载体。
尽管亚洲按摩深植于整体健康与社区照护的传统中，它却长期被误解、污名化甚至刑事化。由于系统性种族主义、阶级歧视及语言障碍，许多来自低收入背景的亚洲女性移民被排除在主流法律和政策之外，导致她们的工作常被视为非法或人口販賣，从而面临警察执法、歧视与刑责的高风险。按摩店也日益成为政府和反人口贩运运动的打击目标，频繁遭遇突袭、罚款和强制关闭。
亚洲按摩师既不是罪犯，也不是贩賣的受害者——他们是劳动者。
按摩不是犯罪——它是一种疗愈的实践、尊严的体现和文化智慧的结晶。对于许多边缘女性而言，按摩不仅提供身体照护，也带来济自主与社会连结。
请与我们一同肯定按摩作为亚洲文化遗产的重要组成部分，反对针对亚洲按摩工作者的污名、种族主义与刑事化。让我们以自豪、尊严与团结共同庆祝这一文化。
如何支持：
🔸 倾听亚洲按摩工作者的声音
尊重她们的经验、故事和专业知识。通过签署请愿、转发倡议，分享她们的声音，表达您的支持。
🔸 加入支持亚洲按摩工作者的行动
反对将按摩工作者刑事化，反对针对按摩店的种族歧视与歧视性执法，呼吁政府终止种族定性、过度监管与强制取缔。
🔸 支持本地亚洲按摩工作者
预约一次按摩——支持这一疗愈传统，支持劳动者，促进社区健康。
致敬亚洲按摩文化遗产
亚洲按摩的文化与社会意义
按摩不仅是一项服务，更是一种源于疗愈、关爱与文化智慧的传统。在亚洲及其离散社区中，按摩长期在社区生活、健康实践和经济生存中发挥着重要作用。若要真正理解并支持亚洲按摩工作者，我们必须首先承认其工作背后的深厚文化底蕴。
1. 古老的疗愈传统
按摩在许多亚洲文化中已有数千年历史，如中国的推拿、日本的指压和按摩术、印度的阿育吠陀按摩等。这些传统不仅注重改善循环、放松肌肉、缓解疼痛，更强调恢复身体平衡、增进健康和整体福祉。
2. 代代相传的文化知识
按摩技艺通常通过师徒制代代传承，体现了深厚的祖辈智慧，扎根于“身心灵合一”的亚洲哲学中。
3. 心灵与社区照护
在许多亚洲文化中，按摩是一种重要的照护与支持形式，广泛用于照料长者、协助分娩、缓解疼痛和促进康复。它是一种深具社群意义的关系性实践，同时帮助人们缓解工作与家庭压力，改善心理健康，恢复日常生活中的平衡与幸福感。
4. 经济与社会的生存之道
对许多亚洲女性和移民而言，特别是在离散社区中，按摩是一种可及且受尊重的谋生方式。它赋予人们经济自主，并将文化根植的专业知识转化为现实生活中的生存工具，即使在充满敌意和边缘化的环境中亦是如此。
5. 经常被误解与污名化
尽管按摩在历史上意义重大，尤其是由亚洲女性所从事的按摩工作，常常被种族化、污名化与刑事化。这种偏见抹去了它的文化价值，并助长了歧视与暴力。
总结：
按摩是亚洲文化遗产不可或缺的一部分。
它代表了疗愈、传统、坚韧与专业技能。尊重这一遗产，就意味着尊重这一实践及延续它的按摩師。