What to Wear to a Massage: Underwear On, a Towel Throughout, and Why the Old Books Said Otherwise

Short answer: come in something loose, and for any oil massage at Nghê Prana you undress to your underwear, which stays on for the whole treatment, under a towel. For the Thai massage without oil, the foot treatments and the nail menu you stay dressed. That is narrower than much of the advice you will read, including some of the massage books on our shelf, one of which says the best way to receive a massage is naked. This page goes through our menu treatment by treatment, read on 2 October 2026, explains why the books disagree with each other and with us, and says plainly what we have not printed yet. We are a riverside hotel and spa on the Thu Bồn in Hội An; the spa is open to anyone, staying with us or not.

The short answer, treatment by treatment

Prices are per person in Vietnamese đồng, read from our live spa menu on 2 October 2026; at our published rate of 26,000₫ to the US dollar, the 60-minute oil massage is about US$17. Underwear on and the towel are house policy, confirmed with the spa team on 30 August 2026, and they apply to every guest, women and men alike.

What to wear on the way here

Anything loose that goes on and off without effort, and shoes you can slip out of. After an oil massage a trace of oil stays on the skin, so choose something you are happy to wash; Susan Mumford makes the same point about oil and clothes in The Massage Bible (2009, pp. 30–31). Leave jewellery behind: Mumford's checklist says to remove it before starting, and George Downing's The Massage Book (1972, p. 23) lists rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, glasses and contact lenses. If you have booked the Thai massage without oil, the clothes you arrive in are the clothes you are massaged in, so wear trousers you can bend in and a T-shirt.

Underwear stays on: our rule, and why it is narrower than most advice

At Nghê Prana underwear stays on for the entire treatment: every oil massage, the hot stones, the herbal compress, bamboo, the pregnancy treatment and the scrubs. You are covered by a towel from the start; only the area being worked on is uncovered, one leg or the back, and it is covered again before the therapist moves on. Chest and groin stay covered at all times. If you would like more covering than that, say so at the start and the therapist will adjust. Nghê Prana is a licensed hotel spa and every treatment is therapeutic: there are no sexual services of any kind, and none will be offered or implied.

Much of the published guidance leaves the choice to you. Vinmec's guide to twelve kinds of massage (updated 22 July 2024) says that for Swedish massage you remove all your clothes or keep your underwear on ("cởi bỏ quần áo toàn bộ hoặc giữ lại đồ lót"), and that for hot stone you may wear nothing or underwear ("không mặc gì hoặc mặc đồ lót"); for an essential-oil massage it says you wear nothing "trừ đồ lót", except underwear. We do not offer the first option. One rule for everyone means nobody has to decide on the day, and nobody has to wonder what the person on the next bed decided.

Why the massage books disagree

The oldest book on our shelf is the most direct. Downing, in 1972: "The best way to receive a massage is in the nude. Even a minimal amount of clothing, e.g., underwear or a swimming suit, will get in the way" (p. 23). In the next breath he adds that if removing everything would make you "extremely nervous, then leave something on." Later he gives three remedies for nervousness about being nude (p. 110): a towel over the buttocks or genitals, and a second over a woman's breasts; a sheet, so that only the part being massaged is exposed; or underwear or a swimsuit, which he admits will "drastically cut down on the number of strokes."

The Book of Massage (Lidell and colleagues, 1984) starts from the same place: for oil massage "the receiver is naked" (p. 16), and "should ideally be naked, but you should always respect people's wishes if they feel happier partially clothed" (p. 23). On the same page as the first line it notes that shiatsu "is usually received with clothes on — partly for reasons of modesty" (p. 16). Mumford, a generation later, is looser: what the receiver wears depends "on what they are most comfortable with"; for oil massage they need "to remove at least some of their clothes", the areas not being massaged stay under towels, and her equipment list includes a smaller towel for covering the chest (pp. 30–31).

The disagreement resolves once you notice who each book is talking to. Downing's chapter is called "What to tell your friend"; Lidell and Mumford write for partners and family at home. The books that describe a session with a professional land on draping instead. Carmen Renee Berry (1997): you are "to be covered with proper draping (sheets, towels, or clothing) at all times, with only the part of the body that is being worked on exposed. At no time are your genitals to be touched" (p. 169). Ryan Hoyme (2018): "Be sure to drape the groin region properly, so nothing is exposed" (ch. 3, "The Thighs"). Clair and Amber Davies, describing a clinical trigger-point session, note that clients sometimes wear shorts, and women a tank top, "for modesty and ease of draping" (p. 288). Our rule sits at the covered end of that range. Downing's point still stands and we will not pretend otherwise: fabric costs a therapist some strokes. We accept that trade.

Do I keep my bra on?

It is the first question in Google's own box for this search, and the one point on this page we have not yet printed a house answer to. We have asked the spa team and will add the answer here; until then, ask us when you book. What is already fixed is the part that matters: your chest stays covered by the towel at all times, either way. One aside from the books, if neck ache is why you are booking: Davies and Davies list a "taut bra strap", along with a backpack or a heavy bag on one shoulder, among everyday things that can keep trigger points in the trapezius going (p. 31). That is the muscle our back, neck and shoulder treatment is built around.

Planning a trip around this? See dates at our quiet riverside hotel on the Thu Bồn. Check availability →

Treatments you keep your clothes on for

Three corners of the menu need no undressing at all. The Thai massage without oil is done in loose clothing: Hoyme writes that in Thai massage "the giver and receiver usually wear loose clothing" (ch. 4), and Vinmec's guide says the same, "quần áo rộng rãi và thoải mái". Whether we keep a set to lend is still with the owner, so bring your own. For the foot massage and reflexology, nothing comes off but shoes and socks; trousers are rolled to the knee and your feet rest on a towel. For manicures and pedicures you sit as you are, with one tip from the American Academy of Dermatology for a pedicure: shave your lower legs after it, not before, leaving at least 24 hours. If you would rather not undress at all, these are the treatments to book; the foot massage is 450,000₫ for 60 minutes.

What we have not printed yet

• Bra or no bra for an oil massage: asked, answer pending. Your chest stays covered either way.
• Loose clothing for the dry Thai massage: whether we lend a set. Bring your own until this line says otherwise.
• The facial: what you wear for it. Already published: come without heavy makeup if you can.
• The herbal steam (xông hơi) and the private jacuzzi: what to wear. Ask when you book.
• The scrubs: underwear on and the towel, as above; how the scrub is taken off is not yet printed.

We would rather leave a line blank than guess. Ask on WhatsApp, +84 896 687 961, and you will get the spa's own answer.

On your period, pregnant, or booking for two

Nothing changes for a period: wear what you normally wear, and see massage on your period for the three things worth asking. The pregnancy treatment follows the same underwear and towel rule, lying on your side. A couple books the private couples room, two beds side by side, and the rule is the same on each bed. If one of you is unsure about undressing at all, a foot massage side by side is the gentlest start: 900,000₫ for two at 60 minutes. The jacuzzi for two is 300,000₫ each for 30 minutes, with drinks and fruit. For the other first-visit questions, from talking to tipping, see what to expect at a couples massage.

Booking

Nghê Prana Riverside Hotel & Spa, Hẻm 384 Nguyễn Tri Phương, Cẩm Nam, Hội An, on the Thu Bồn a few minutes from the Old Town. Phone or WhatsApp +84 896 687 961. An hour's notice is enough, and walk-ins are welcome when a therapist is free. The consultation form asks about pressure and has a body map: circle what to focus on, cross out what to avoid. You can ask the therapist to change the pressure, skip an area, add covering or stop at any point.