Nuru massage: origins, the famous gel and how it feels

A word that says it all

In Japanese, nuru nuru is the kind of word that describes a sensation: something slick, slippery, gliding. That is exactly what a nuru massage is about. Take the principle of the body to body massage, the masseuse gliding over you with her whole body, and replace the oil with a gel so fluid that friction almost disappears.

Origins: a name from Japan

The name and the style are generally associated with Japan. Japan has a long culture of bathing and body care, from the public sento to the hot-spring onsen, and nuru belongs to that same world of water, warmth and skin.

Today the technique is offered far beyond Japan, sometimes in Thai and other Asian salons alongside their own traditions. In Paris as elsewhere, it is a much-searched massage style, sometimes spelled nuru massage, nuru-massage or massage nuru. Our salon is not one of the places that offer it: our Thai masseuses stay with what they do best, the body to body with warm oil.

The gel: the heart of the experience

What makes nuru unique is its gel. Classic nuru gel is:

• Water-based, so it never feels greasy.
• Made with seaweed extract, often described as nori, the seaweed familiar from Japanese cuisine.
• Colourless and odourless, so nothing distracts from the sensation.
• Extremely slippery, especially once diluted with a little warm water.

Before the massage, the masseuse mixes the gel with warm water until it reaches the right texture, then warms it in her hands. Spread over the skin, it creates a thin, silky film. When two bodies glide on it, the contact becomes continuous and fluid, almost weightless.

That film has its downsides too. Being mostly water, the gel cools on the skin, and as it dries it turns tacky and has to be rewetted. It also glides so much that you feel the other person’s skin less. It does, on the other hand, rinse off easily with warm water.

How a nuru session usually unfolds

Shower first

As with any body to body massage, the session begins with a hot shower. Clean, warm skin takes the gel better, and the warmth prepares the muscles.

A hands-on warm-up

The masseuse usually begins with a massage using her hands to relieve the most obvious tensions in the back, shoulders and legs.

The glide

Then comes the gel. Spread generously over both bodies, it allows long, sweeping glides: from the ankles to the shoulders, along the arms, in wide circles. Nuru is most often performed on an inflatable mattress laid on the floor, which suits the large quantities of gel and water involved.

Rinse and rest

A final warm shower removes the gel. Afterwards, nuru tends to leave people in a deeply relaxed, slightly dreamy state.

Why we offer oil body to body instead

	Nuru	Oil body to body, at our salon
Medium	Water-based seaweed gel	Warm massage oil
Warmth	Gel that cools on the skin	Heated oil that stays warm
Contact	Ultra-slippery, the other body is felt less	Fluid glide, every contact is felt
During the session	Turns tacky as it dries	Stays fluid throughout
Setting	Usually a mattress on the floor	A comfortable massage table
At our salon	Not offered	From €100, no supplement

The principle is the same: a masseuse gliding over you with her whole body. What changes is the feeling. Warm oil keeps a slight grip, so you feel the pressure, the warmth and the movement of her body from your lower back to your shoulders. On a proper massage table, she can also use her hands on the neck, shoulders and calves. That is why, if you came looking for nuru, we suggest our oil body to body instead of nuru, described in full on our body to body massage in Paris page.

If you love water, the Thai soapy massage is another close cousin: at our salon, it means foam under the warm shower, on request, followed by an oil body to body on the table.

Three misconceptions about nuru

Nuru is just a slippery oil massage. Not quite. The gel behaves very differently from oil: it is lighter, water-based and much more fluid, and it changes the whole rhythm of the massage. Movements become longer and more continuous, with fewer pauses.

Nuru gel stays warm. Not on its own. A good masseuse warms the gel and dilutes it with hot water, but because it is mostly water, it cools as the minutes pass and must be topped up. Oil, heated before the session, holds its warmth far better.

Nuru is only for experienced guests. There is nothing technical to know: you lie down, breathe and let the glide do its work. The same goes for an oil body to body. To picture a whole visit to our salon, from arrival to the last shower, read how a session works.

A few tips from Shoda

Whichever glide you choose, gel elsewhere or oil with us, the same advice applies.

• Mention any allergy: to seaweed or iodine for nuru, to oils or fragrances for an oil massage.
• Do not put on lotion or perfume before the session: gel and oil both work best on clean skin.
• Let yourself go heavy. A body to body works best when you stop trying to help.
• Avoid a big meal just before. You will be lying on your front and back for a while.
• Allow time for the shower afterwards. It is quick, but part of the pleasure.

At our salon

Nuru is not on our menu. We offer the body to body massage with warm oil, a sensual massage, intimate by nature, performed as a professional treatment, by trained masseuses, by the book. Whenever the masseuse sees fit, and in any case after an indecent request or inappropriate behaviour, the session is cancelled immediately, without refund. This clear framework is what allows everyone to relax completely.

The oil body to body costs €100 for 30 minutes, €130 for 45 minutes and €150 for an hour, shower included and with no supplement, or €90, €120 and €140 for a session starting between 11am and 2pm. For the other terms you may come across, see our erotic massage glossary.