This article originally appeared on VICE UK.
Andy is a muscular dystrophy patient who lives with his parents in southern Taiwan. When our group was reported by the media and got lots of criticism, I saw Andy joined the public debate and argued with those [critical] internet users, trying to illustrate his opinions.”
In Taiwan, where a discussion of sexuality is restrained by strict moral codes, there was also plenty of mockery leveled at Hand Angel.
He also felt it was infidelity, which he thought was morally wrong.
He said he kept going because it was “relaxing,” a way to be naked with a woman without complications. So not the best mix for those like Andy, really. Straight massage doesn’t really work for this, because it’s so different from being caressed or hugged. Inputs tactile stimulation from the front, back and side of the body orderly from shallow to deep, from skin surface to the joints, muscles, and fascia, allowing the body to relax deeply and rest more effectively.
I asked, “If you can’t imagine going a month without this, doesn’t that sound more compulsive than glamorous?” He had to admit that it did.
“But if it works for me, it shouldn’t matter,” he said cavalierly.
A bitter wife who promised a custody battle if they divorced, a 6-year-old son he barely knew because she controlled access to him (they’d been living separately for two years), a job at which he felt chronically behind, and two sickly parents he was committed to caring for all added up to an unhappy life.
He said it made him feel “free.” It certainly helped him forget the constraints of the rest of his life.
He liked the glamor of men in their 20s, so as a 45-year-old, small cash payments were the way to get what he wanted.
Related: “The Japanese Love Industry”
In the Netherlands, the national health system provides a grant scheme for people with disabilities to receive public money to pay for sexual services up to 12 times a year.
We need touch for benefits of Well-being, Body Awareness, Stress & Anxiety Level and Interpersonal Relationship.
Touch therapy, involving the stimulation of tactile input, can bring our body into deep relaxation.
Benefits include stress reduction, decreased anxiety and depression, improved sleep quality and reduced physical pain.
Just ask yourself: do you need to consult your parents before having sex?”