Simon Suraci

Has anyone else noticed something fishy going on with Ben’s RentMasseur reviews?
Frequency and consistency. No more than a week goes by, often only 2-3 days and he has a new review. This is unheard of in our industry. Note the rapid cluster of many positive reviews in a short period between July and early October, and really overall since the account was created in April 2025. 
Note frequent near-identical positive phrases and strong superlatives (“Totally worth it”, “Very relaxing”, “best deep tissue massage”) across multiple entires. Doctored reviews often reuse the same winning phrases.
Many reviews support or justify his less popular policies among most clients like providing client photos or sending deposits as a condition to book. To each his own regarding how they decide to screen clients, but the fishy part is how quick his clients are to defend his booking policies.
Reviews contain few, if any typos, or grammatical errors. It’s surprising when clients type up perfectly organized, paragraphed review messages, on a consistent basis.
He had little time in either Charlotte (pre-move) or Denver (post-move) to build up a strong, consistent client base. It’s unusual to have so much business so quickly, much less to have so many of his clients reviewing so consistently, in both cities.
Maybe some of the reviews are genuine, but I can’t help but wonder if any of these guys booked based on the large number of other reviews exhibiting telltale signs of manipulation.
Just my armchair gumshoe take. What do you long time forum members think?
If it’s genuine, good for him. If it’s not, all of this will catch up to him eventually.

LA market starts at 350/hr. It’s one of a handful of places that is more expensive than most metros hovering around 300 average for any guy, regardless of looks, experience, or performance/reputation.
Not sure about Ubers or other expenses, but purely for the provider’s hourly service charge, LA has been at 350 for at least a few years. I would not expect this particular market to fall downward, as it is a large metro with many a monied man willing to spend as much, if not more.
Maybe some of the guys who were over pricing in recent years will either lower their fees or exit the industry. Those of us charging a reasonable rate aren’t changing. Some I know are considering raising their prices. Hate to break it to you gents, but prices are not exactly plummeting.

LA market starts at 350/hr. It’s one of a handful of places that is more expensive than most metros hovering around 300 average for any guy, regardless of looks, experience, or performance/reputation.
Not sure about Ubers or other expenses, but purely for the provider’s hourly service charge, LA has been at 350 for at least a few years. I would not expect this particular market to fall downward, as it is a large metro with many a monied man willing to spend as much, if not more.
Maybe some of the guys who were over pricing in recent years will either lower their fees or exit the industry. Those of us charging a reasonable rate aren’t changing. Some I know are considering raising their prices. Hate to break it to you gents, but prices are not exactly plummeting.

LA market starts at 350/hr. It’s one of a handful of places that is more expensive than most metros hovering around 300 average for any guy, regardless of looks, experience, or performance/reputation.
Not sure about Ubers or other expenses, but purely for the provider’s hourly service charge, LA has been at 350 for at least a few years. I would not expect this particular market to fall downward, as it is a large metro with many a monied man willing to spend as much, if not more.
Maybe some of the guys who were over pricing in recent years will either lower their fees or exit the industry. Those of us charging a reasonable rate aren’t changing. Some I know are considering raising their prices. Hate to break it to you gents, but prices are not exactly plummeting.

Lately I’ve noticed rates are all over the place, especially with newer providers. Massages can range anywhere from $160 to $350, and escort services from about $250 to $500.
@Braziliancutee In my experience, appearance only gets someone so far. It’s real skill and professionalism that justify higher prices.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Certainly there are some clients who are superficial and beguiled by physical beauty or are into muscle worship. But a provider’s ability to build rapport, find something attractive about a client, hold a decent conversation, and perform well sexually are all as important or moreso than perfect abs or 15 percent body fat. And the more mature I get, the more those qualities or lack thereof are what justifies the cost. 

Overnights are different for everyone. You, the client, communicate what you want and what you expect. Your provider will propose a fee, a timeframe, and you go from there to land on a mutually agreeable arrangement.
Typical overnights are around 12 hours, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. Baseline: 9pm-9am. Maybe start earlier or end later. You negotiate and agree on expectations ahead of time in terms of duration, activities in bed, activities outside of bed, how much (if any) sleep you expect to get, sleeping arrangements, and the fee.
You might start early evening with dinner, maybe cocktails, or whatever relaxation activity floats your boat. See a movie, visit an art show, go to the beach, dance at a club, play video games, go shopping, whatever the client wants based on his interests. A lot of times it looks like a traditional nice dinner date. You talk, you flirt, you connect. Some of my clients like me to give them a massage, body scrub, and manscaping in addition to, or instead of, meals or other going out activities. It can look however you want. 
Then the really fun part. Usually one or more rounds of sexual activities you like, often going into the wee hours. It could last from 2-4 hours, maybe more, depending on a few factors. You might break these romps up with snacks, laying in one another’s arms, talking, watching a show, or what have you. For some of you kinky bitches, these can be pretty long, drawn out, and elaborate sessions. Maybe others join (arranged ahead), but usually just 1:1. 
Then some sleep. Perhaps only a few hours. Maybe 6-8 if the client is satisfied with plenty of action the night before and the morning after. You might like to sleep cuddled up with your provider. Or in an adjacent hotel bed, or in completely separate rooms at your home, or whatever works best for you both.
Some clients want and expect their provider to stay up all night. That’s ok too, but please do communicate your expectations up front. Most of us can’t go for 5-10 hours at a time just having sex, and not everyone will be good company staying up that late. There’s a natural limit. Drugs are another matter, however. If you want to party, be sure to find a compatible provider and be upfront with your expectations. 
After some nap time, you might wake up to your man initiating another round of sex. Morning wood is raging. Things happen. Then coffee/tea, breakfast, more chatter, showering, and getting dressed. Maybe you skip breakfast and go out for brunch.
Pay your provider, and he’s on his way!

TBF, by 'Near Travel', they could mean, 'I'm near, so you can travel.'

It is. I wouldn’t sweat it.
Enjoy the consensual company of men.
LE has more important things to pursue.

Depends on the nature of the service. Therapeutic only masseurs get annoyed at nude pic requests because what they look like naked isn’t particularly relevant for the service they are advertising.
But…I know there’s a lot of gray area in who offers what to whom and when and for how much.
My view is if any escort style services are explicitly on offer or even implied as on offer, a masseur / SW should not be surprised or offended by the request, and should be willing to share freely.
You want to sell your ass? Show your ass.
You want to sell your massage skills without any sexual things or nudity? Market your skills. Your looks are only a bonus for those that like your look.
Being naked, offering mutual touch, happy endings or more, all depend on the individual masseur. Some offer extras, some don’t. I think it’s ok to ask for nudes from masseurs that advertise in a way that suggests they offer more than therapeutic massage. That doesn’t mean they are obligated to share nudes, but that’s their decision to lean into what they are selling by offering a preview or not. Whether they share pics or not, some clients will bite, some won’t.

It is. I wouldn’t sweat it.
Enjoy the consensual company of men.
LE has more important things to pursue.

It is. I wouldn’t sweat it.
Enjoy the consensual company of men.
LE has more important things to pursue.

It is. I wouldn’t sweat it.
Enjoy the consensual company of men.
LE has more important things to pursue.

Some would opine that those professions were ever deserving of that fate.

Yes, sometimes the masseur trips and the entire penis goes in accidentally.  It's happened to me a few hundred times.

Nudity.  Glute work.  Sphincter massage.
If a penis gets inserted, then only "Just the tip".  Anything past the tip is escort territory.

This is one of many reasons why I am building my own website. Linking to it from my ad removes all the barriers, paywalls, and bs so I can share with clients the information and photos I want to share. It’s exhausting being beholden to RM.

This. I avoid all the gimmicks and extra equipment like heated pads, blankets, hot water bags, etc. The downsides of the heated table pads are they break, are difficult to clean, and are harder to navigate when trying to get up under the client’s body when I am introducing Lomi-Lomi style techniques into the flow of my massage.
I use a space heater to quickly raise the room temp when necessary. The best way, in my opinion, is not to fuss with the table surface, but to keep the room at an appropriate temperature range for most clients. That falls, in my opinion, within the 72-76F range. It could go higher for some, but I avoid going above 78F.
At 77F or higher, my coconut oil (melting point 78F) gets too goopy and runny to work with for my style of massage. It’s a mess and I end up using way too much product because it’s more difficult to control the amount I am applying with a simple quick swipe or dab. A solid state, but still workable oil is best for me to control exactly how much I am applying. Above 76 and I start getting too hot because I am moving around a lot and exerting quite a bit of energy. 78 or more and I start sweating more which is unpleasant for clients wanting to touch me. They like a sweaty man during sex, but don’t so much during body-to-body contact massage, nuru style work, frottage, etc., or even simple mutual touch.
Cooler than 72 or 70F and my oil is too solid to easily work with, not to mention cooler on the client’s skin, which is a less pleasant micro shock every time I freshly apply. It melts onto the skin in seconds, but still, not as good as melting onto the skin instantly in the 73-76F range. Cooler than 72 and many clients are likely to feel a slight chill, as they are completely nude the whole time and staying still.
I lean on the warmer side in the winter and for leaner and/or older clients because these are the most likely to want a warmer room. I lean on the cooler side in the summer, or for clients with a bigger build and/or younger, for the same reasons. Everyone is different though, and the rule of thumb doesn’t apply to everyone. I adjust for whatever the client requests if they are wanting something different. Seldom do I drape, but I did the other day with a sheet and blanket for an older, leaner client that was cold despite the room being a balmy 76. There are always exceptions and I work around it one way or another, even if that means a sweltering hot yoga like room. I sweat it out.
It’s a shame so few clients book a hot stone massage, but for those lucky ones that do, I front load the massage with hot stones. I use the stones to warm their hands and feet while I massage the rest of their body with the rest of the hot stones before continuing on to the regular massage portion of the session. I change the stones out frequently, every couple minutes or so to maintain a therapeutic temp. Lukewarm stones do as much good for the body as a tepid hot tub. By the way, my hot stone sessions are longer, so the stone time doesn’t take anything away from my regular massage routine. It’s on top of what I normally do, to prep the client’s muscles for some really good deep tissue work. Feels great too.
Working thoroughly on the extremities increases circulation and ameliorates the cool touch effect over the course of the massage. Whatever might feel initially shocking at the cooler extremities goes away over the course of the session.
A good, experienced therapist will have no problem working on a client with cooler extremities. This is nothing new for us, and doesn’t put us off in any way. I encourage clients to not worry about having cool hands or feet. It’s normal. The good guys will know how to handle it and touching us (for those that allow it) is perfectly fine. Just be gentle and respectful as any sensible, experienced, warm handed client would be anyhow.

I'll ask the obvious (at least to me) question:  How does one get to the point of being engaged without knowing something as basic as what each other does for a living, or even as a side-hustle?

Something to keep in mind when oversimplifying numbers like this into a table is upcharges.
Some of these masseurs provide therapeutic only service under their base rates, but offer sensual and/or erotic upgrades for an upcharge (nudity, mutual touch, HE, sometimes more), while others offer similar services inclusive in their base pricing. Michael, for example, charges (in my opinion) a fair rate for good quality therapeutic only work (135/hr), but you would need to add $50 for mutual nude, and an ending you might want/expect many others to provide under their base pricing. That actually makes it 185/hr in this example.
While the “YMMV” concept applies for many providers who do not explicitly upcharge, some of those that do break out upcharges end up being more than the base rate of the guys that include all (or sometimes more) than what the other guys’ upcharges cover. It’s not all apples to apples when you take this factor into account.
Of course there are other factors to consider when evaluating the overall value and in particular the value to the individual based on his preferences. However, we can quantify some basic objective things like what is included and for how much total fee for an hour session. If you want to plug a bunch of masseurs into a table and compare them fairly to get an average, you need to adjust for upcharges first.
I haven’t seen everyone on the list, so you guys will have to make suggestions to improve the quality of @7829V ‘s  quick analysis. Some of these rates may need adjusting, some may not.

Something to keep in mind when oversimplifying numbers like this into a table is upcharges.
Some of these masseurs provide therapeutic only service under their base rates, but offer sensual and/or erotic upgrades for an upcharge (nudity, mutual touch, HE, sometimes more), while others offer similar services inclusive in their base pricing. Michael, for example, charges (in my opinion) a fair rate for good quality therapeutic only work (135/hr), but you would need to add $50 for mutual nude, and an ending you might want/expect many others to provide under their base pricing. That actually makes it 185/hr in this example.
While the “YMMV” concept applies for many providers who do not explicitly upcharge, some of those that do break out upcharges end up being more than the base rate of the guys that include all (or sometimes more) than what the other guys’ upcharges cover. It’s not all apples to apples when you take this factor into account.
Of course there are other factors to consider when evaluating the overall value and in particular the value to the individual based on his preferences. However, we can quantify some basic objective things like what is included and for how much total fee for an hour session. If you want to plug a bunch of masseurs into a table and compare them fairly to get an average, you need to adjust for upcharges first.
I haven’t seen everyone on the list, so you guys will have to make suggestions to improve the quality of @7829V ‘s  quick analysis. Some of these rates may need adjusting, some may not.

Something to keep in mind when oversimplifying numbers like this into a table is upcharges.
Some of these masseurs provide therapeutic only service under their base rates, but offer sensual and/or erotic upgrades for an upcharge (nudity, mutual touch, HE, sometimes more), while others offer similar services inclusive in their base pricing. Michael, for example, charges (in my opinion) a fair rate for good quality therapeutic only work (135/hr), but you would need to add $50 for mutual nude, and an ending you might want/expect many others to provide under their base pricing. That actually makes it 185/hr in this example.
While the “YMMV” concept applies for many providers who do not explicitly upcharge, some of those that do break out upcharges end up being more than the base rate of the guys that include all (or sometimes more) than what the other guys’ upcharges cover. It’s not all apples to apples when you take this factor into account.
Of course there are other factors to consider when evaluating the overall value and in particular the value to the individual based on his preferences. However, we can quantify some basic objective things like what is included and for how much total fee for an hour session. If you want to plug a bunch of masseurs into a table and compare them fairly to get an average, you need to adjust for upcharges first.
I haven’t seen everyone on the list, so you guys will have to make suggestions to improve the quality of @7829V ‘s  quick analysis. Some of these rates may need adjusting, some may not.