House Guide · Nuru Massage
Nuru, The Word and the Gel Explained
Nuru massage is a body-to-body massage performed with Nuru gel, a clear gel from Japan made with nori seaweed that glides far more easily than any massage oil. That gel is what defines it: it creates a smooth, almost frictionless slide of skin on skin that oil-based body-to-body massage cannot match. It is a specialist format, and the booking details are on the nuru massage Amsterdam page.
What Is Nuru Massage?
In a Nuru session the gel is spread over both the masseuse and the recipient and acts as the contact layer for a full body-to-body massage. How it differs from oil. A classic body-to-body massage uses warm, professional massage oil; Nuru gel is much slicker and behaves differently, being transparent, odourless and water-soluble, so it washes away easily. What it needs. A waterproof sheet over the mattress, since the liquid gel would otherwise soak the bedding; gel mixed from concentrate with warm water shortly before the session; and a warm shower at the end, where it rinses off cleanly.
Where Nuru Massage Comes From
Nuru developed in Kawasaki, Japan, during the 1970s and 1980s, as a specialty within the Soaplands, the country's sensual bathhouses. Its gel, made from nori seaweed and mixed with warm water, produces an exceptional slide. From the 1990s and 2000s onward the technique spread internationally and became an established format in European and North American sensual massage, where it is still one of the more specialised options.
Nuru vs Body-to-Body Massage
What sets Nuru apart is the gel, not the movement. The movement itself is body-to-body massage, with the masseuse using her whole body rather than just hands and forearms in continuous skin-on-skin contact. Nuru gel adds a glide that no oil can produce, so her body moves over yours in a way that feels clearly different from an oil session.
Setup: Mattress, Gel, Warmth and Rinse
Mattress. Nuru is messy by nature, so it needs a waterproof cover, an inflatable or vinyl-covered mattress that the companion brings with her. Gel. It is mixed with warm water and spread generously over both bodies before the massage starts. Warmth. The room and the gel are warmed to your liking, because cold gel is unpleasant while warm gel feels sensual rather than clinical. Rinse. A warm shower closes the session, and the gel comes off cleanly with water.
Variants: Four-Hand and Couples Nuru
Nuru asks for training in preparing the gel, moving with its unusual slide and setting up the room, so not every companion who lists sensual massage offers it, and the office matches you with one who does. Four-hand Nuru brings two masseuses working in sync, described under 4-hand massage. Couples Nuru is given to an established couple, with the masseuse working between both partners.
Booking a Nuru Massage in Amsterdam
Length. Plan on at least 90 minutes, because the setup leaves too little time in 60. Place. A hotel suite or a private home with enough space and a bathroom for the rinse. Notice. Book reasonably ahead, as the companion brings equipment. Afterwards. A warm shower and a quiet moment, and you will feel thoroughly relaxed. For a bath-based alternative, see soapy massage.
Nuru gel is made with nori seaweed. It is clear, odourless and water-soluble, and it is mixed with warm water before the session.
The technique is the same body-to-body massage, but Nuru uses a seaweed gel that is far more slippery than massage oil.
At least 90 minutes. The setup takes too much time for the format to develop properly in 60.
Yes. She brings the waterproof mattress or cover and prepares the gel on site.