Discreet desires: consumer motivations and risk perceptions in covert prostitution within Bali’s spa tourism

Purpose This study aims to examine how male clients rationalize their engagement in covert prostitution within Bali’s spa tourism sector. It explores how spa-based sexual services are interpreted, normalized and morally justified, and how clients perceive legal and health-related risks in this context. Design/methodology/approach An interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted to understand clients’ lived experiences and meaning-making processes. Thirty heterosexual male participants aged 26–62 from diverse national backgrounds were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted over a twelve-month period and analyzed thematically to identify how consumer reasoning, cultural context and structural conditions shaped participation. Findings Clients described spa environments as safe, legitimate and socially respectable settings, enabling moral distancing from the stigma of prostitution. Sexual services were reframed as part of a luxury wellness experience, justified through narratives of self-care, mutual consent and economic support for workers. Regulatory ambiguity, cultural hospitality and Bali’s tourism identity collectively produced a sense of safety and permissibility, despite limited awareness of legal and health risks. Differences across client groups showed that generational, cultural and experiential backgrounds influenced how moral reasoning and justification were constructed. Originality/value This study contributes to tourism and consumer behavior literature by demonstrating how covert prostitution within wellness tourism is sustained through the convergence of consumer ethics, moral distance and neoliberal commodification of intimacy. It highlights how environmental, cultural and economic conditions collectively normalize illicit sexual transactions, underscoring the need for targeted public health messaging and clearer tourism governance policy.