A massage parlour owner and two associates have been acquitted after a court in Foshan ruled that happy ending massages do not amount to prostitution, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

It all started in July 2011 when the men were arrested after employees at the parlour had been found to be offering happy endings and other sexual favours. Each was handed a five year sentence that has now been overturned.

Take it away South China Morning Post:

An appeal filed by the men to the Foshan Intermediate People’s Court one year later managed to help them turn the case around. After further investigation, the defendants were found “not criminally responsible” and were subsequently acquitted due to “unclear facts and improper application of the law”. The court said manual stimulation did not belong in the realm of prostitution.

The ruling sparked controversy in the city. Many pointed to a decree in 2001 by the Ministry of Public Security, which specified that providing or receiving of sexual activity for hire, be it oral sex, masturbation or sodomy, would be considered prostitution and was thus, illegal.

There have been cases of foreigners, through miscommunication, getting a happy ending massage without intending to. But it appears that this particular type of behaviour is no longer a criminal activity, which may be a relief for some.

And, as an aside, to quote one old joke: a sexual favour isn’t really a favour if you’ve paid for it.