A massage parlour in China is offering a shockingly cheap service, but to qualify for it, clients must be women and own either the latest iPhone or a luxury car to prove they are “exceptionally outstanding”.
The parlour in the southeastern Chinese city of Shenzhen promotes its exclusive massage for outstanding women on a popular review and rating app.
It offers a detox massage service, which includes an 80-minute full-body Chinese meridian therapy, for just 9 yuan (US$1). An 80-minute massage in the city usually costs around 200 yuan.
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However, the shop has set 27 conditions for the low-price package, of which its female customers must meet at least one.
Requirements include owning property in a high-end community, driving an Audi, Mercedes or Porsche, using an iPhone 16 Pro Max, or owning luxury bags.
Additional criteria include being an employee of leading tech companies like Tencent or Huawei, holding Hong Kong or Macau residency, or having travelled to Europe or the US.
Social media influencers with more than 500,000 followers, brand founders, or professionals such as doctors and bankers, are also eligible.
A message from the shop says: “If you do not meet the conditions, keep working hard in 2025!”
It adds that encouraging customers to strive is not for their personal gratification, but to give everyone the freedom to choose and live a better life.
A member of the parlour’s staff told a mainland media outlet that the low-priced package is aimed at “exceptionally outstanding women” in Shenzhen, and customers must provide proof to qualify.
An anonymous customer said that it felt no different from regular massage offerings.
As of this writing, more than 100 orders for the service had been placed on the app.
In recent years, several cities in China have launched women-only gyms and swimming pools, offering workout spaces free from male harassment.
Such facilities have been well received, but the massage parlour’s “outstanding women” criteria has sparked controversy.
One online user raised concerns that the shop could be violating the Consumer Rights Protection Law, which guarantees consumers the right to fair trade.
Another person questioned whether it was just a marketing gimmick, noting that those who meet the criteria likely would not care about the 9 yuan.
A third suggested the shop was targeting high-spending customers to later upsell more expensive products.
Reports of the unusual customer identity requirements are not new in China.
Last August, a swimming club in Jiangsu province north of Shanghai only allowed women under 45 with an education to join, claiming they have “a high IQ and personal qualities”.
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