Justice Claims of Sri Lankan Spa Workers Seeking a Professional Identity

Globally, spas are recognised as a part of the wellness sector; however, the business focus and employment conditions of spas vary between and within countries based on social, economic, legal and cultural circumstances. Focusing on the distinctive nature of spas in the local context of Sri Lanka, this briefing paper explores the stigmatisation of masseuses’ work at spas caused by the conflation of sex work with spa work. Drawing on empirical data collected as part of the first author’s doctoral research, it centres on the experiences of female labour constituents of urban spas. Responding to calls to bring policy reforms to safeguard the labour rights of women in the Sri Lankan spa industry, it foregrounds the perspectives of these women who wish to construct a professional identity and recognition of the labour role performed in spas in a context where the industry is booming, but such work is socially condemned.