Erotic massage

When the massage is of a partner's genitals (manual sex), the act is usually referred to as a handjob for penises and fingering for vulvas.

A 'happy ending' is a colloquial term for the practice of a provider offering sexual release to a client.

Erotic massage may be used in sex therapy as a means of stimulating the libido or increasing the ability of a person to respond positively to sensual stimulus.

In other cases, erotic massage may be used professionally to help men address issues of premature ejaculation.

According to Rachel P. Maines, in the Western medical tradition, genital massage of a woman to orgasm by a physician or midwife was a standard treatment for female hysteria, an ailment considered common and chronic in women.

The technique was difficult for a physician to master and could take hours to achieve "hysterical paroxysm".

Referral to midwives, which had been common practice, meant a loss of business for the physician, and, at times, husbands were asked to assist.

[3] However, Maines' depiction has been contested by other scholars, including Helen King,[4] and Hallie Lieberman and Eric Schatzberg,[5][6] claiming the idea is false.