Masseuse charged with sexual assault in Sydney’s eastern suburbs

by GRACE JOHNSON

A masseuse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been charged with allegedly raping a woman half his age in his home studio. 

A 67-year-old man was arrested at his home in Dover Heights, in the Waverley Council local government area, at 11:30 am yesterday. 

The man has since been identified as a Kahuna/Lomi lomi massage specialist, a sensual Hawaiian-style massage, adored by many in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with some reporting having received orgasms from the massage.

Earlier this month, the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command began an investigation into the masseuse after a 33-year-old woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted during a massage at the man’s home studio. 

The man was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with sexual intercourse without consent and sexually touching another person without consent. 

He was refused bail and is due to appear in court today. 

According to the Australian Natural Therapists Association, lomi lomi massage uses “a combination of breathing and free-form instinctive techniques to open energy pathways, release tension, and remove blockages. The entire body is massaged with long, rhythmic, and sweeping strokes using the hands and forearms, and different parts of the body are often massaged at the same time.”

There have been several reports of sexual assault to happen in massage parlours.

Just earlier this month on October 13, a 65-year-old man pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including sexual touching without consent and indecent assault of a person under 16. 

In December last year, a man was found not guilty of sexual, indecent assault at a Sydney massage parlour.