Handjob

Johann Nepomuk Geiger, erotic watercolor, 1840. A woman giving a man a handjob.

A handjob (also spelled hand job) is a manual sex act involving a person stimulating the penis or scrotum of another by using the hand.^[1] This is done to induce an erection for sexual pleasure, sexual arousal and may result in orgasm and ejaculation.^[2]

A handjob can be performed as either foreplay or as non-penetrative sex. It is analogous to fingering (manual stimulation of the vulva or vagina). Someone may give a handjob so as not to engage in penetrative sexual activity. Besides avoiding the risks associated with sexual penetration, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or pregnancy from penile-vaginal sex, some people engage in non-penetrative sex to preserve virginity.^[3]

Practice

General

The main aspect of a handjob is manual stimulation of the penis by stroking with the hand, rubbing with the fingers, or some combination.^[4] One common technique is to move the hand (or both hands) up and down on the shaft, glans, and frenulum.^[5][6] The movements and speed of the action may vary. Personal lubricants are often used.^[7]

Others may also use their hands and fingers to stimulate the scrotum by rubbing, stroking, pulling, or even manipulating the testicles.^[8]

Prevalence in massage parlors

See also: Erotic massage

In some massage parlors, a masseuse, whether as part of the massage itself or directly after it, may perform a handjob on their customer. This is sometimes known by the euphemism "happy ending".^[9][10]

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.^[11]

See also

• Fellatio
• Footjob
• Hand fetishism
• Jerking off/wanking – manual stimulation of one's own penis as a form of masturbation

References

1. Handjob. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
2. Crooks, Robert L.; Baur, Karla; Widman, Laura (2020). Our Sexuality. Cengage Learning. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-35703-839-0. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
3. Bryan Strong; Christine DeVault; Theodore F. Cohen (2010). The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationship in a Changing Society. Cengage Learning. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-534-62425-5. Retrieved October 8, 2011. Most people agree that we maintain virginity as long as we refrain from sexual (vaginal) intercourse. But occasionally we hear people speak of 'technical virginity' [...] Data indicate that 'a very significant proportion of teens ha[ve] had experience with oral sex, even if they haven't had sexual intercourse, and may think of themselves as virgins' [...] Other research, especially research looking into virginity loss, reports that 35% of virgins, defined as people who have never engaged in vaginal intercourse, have nonetheless engaged in one or more other forms of heterosexual sexual activity (e.g., oral sex, anal sex, or mutual masturbation).
4. Sussman, Ellen (2008). Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex. Bloomsbury USA. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-59691-474-2. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
5. Carroll, Janell L. (2015). Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity. Cengage Learning. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-495-60274-3. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
6. Soble, Alan (2022). The Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-53815-538-7. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
7. Haberman, Hardy (2001). Family Jewels: A Guide to Male Genital Play and Torment. Greenery Press. p. 6. ISBN 9781890159344. Using water - based personal lube is a wonderful adjunct to almost any genital sex , and particularly for handjobs and masturbation .
8. Hedley, Sarah (2010). 7 Days To Amazing Sex: Revolutionise Your Life And Feel Sexy Now. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-0-74811-424-5. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
9. Feifer, Jason (October 6, 2015). "I Booked a Massage at a High-End Resort and Got a Surprise Happy Ending". Maxim. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
10. "What It's Really Like To Get a Happy Ending Massage". Cosmopolitan. November 20, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
11. "Best happy-ending parlors". Time Out New York. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011.

Further reading

• Carroll, Janell L. (January 1, 2018). Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity. Cengage Learning. pp. 247, 249. ISBN 978-1-337-40499-0.
• Crooks, Robert L.; Baur, Karla (January 1, 2016). Our Sexuality. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-305-88742-8.
• Barker, Meg John (April 9, 2018). The Psychology of Sex. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-19704-1.
• Bruess, Clint E.; Schroeder, Elizabeth (May 30, 2013). Sexuality Education Theory And Practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. pp. 151, 301. ISBN 978-1-4496-4928-9. Retrieved September 19, 2020. manual masturbation...often called a 'hand job' when performed on a penis
• Carpenter, Laura (2005). Virginity Lost. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-1652-6.
• "Great sex without intercourse", NVSH (contains graphics of sexual acts)