A handjob is the manual stimulation of a male's penis or scrotum by another person to induce sexual pleasure, sometimes resulting in orgasm. The manual stimulation of a female's vagina, clitoris or rest of the vulva is fingering, while the manual stimulation of the genitals performed between two people is mutual masturbation.
In massage parlor parlance, the giving of a handjob by a masseuse, whether as part of the massage itself or directly after it, is called a "happy ending".
According to a 1975 study by A. J. Velarde, in an unnamed American West Coast city, provision of a "hand job", where the woman gave the client a handjob, was one of the services masseuses were employed to give. Subsequent newspaper publicity for this practice caused local councils to impose licensing requirements on masseuses similar to the ones imposed on prostitutes. This licensing led to increased expectations in massage parlor clients, who expected that more than a handjob would be available, that is, sexual intercourse. Because the masseuses themselves considered that they had nothing to lose by acting as prostitutes, and because the local council treated them as prostitutes anyway, masseuses often complied, and thus attracted more prostitution to the city.
An investigation by Time Out New York in January 2011 found many New York City massage parlors advertising "sensual massage" and providing handjobs. The parlors charged from $60 to $160, with an extra tip for the sex workers (usually $40) for a massage and manual "happy ending". Most of the massage parlors reviewed were "rub and tug joints" where handjobs were the only sexual services provided, and there was a strict policy of the male clients not touching the female workers.