Stephen Collins Kariuki, the proprietor of 'Massage by Steve' has become a well-known massage therapist in Kenya due to the various clips he has shared on his TikTok account showing him tending to clients.
During an interview with Nicholas Kioko, Kariuki narrated how he started his hustle, which now pays his bills.
Steve, who was born in Nyeri, ventured into the massage business after high school when he realized that he could make a living out of it.
"I have always had a passion for massage therapy. I loved doing it to my friends and that is when I realized that I could make a profession out of it and that is when I went to CBD to study massage," Steve stated.
He also mentioned that he learned many other things after college, considering that he had started massaging people even before he went to school to pursue his studies.
The massage therapist, who once worked at Diani, is now a freelancer after Covid-19 pandemic displaced him from the industry. However, he has now built his brand after sharing clips of himself massaging 'baby girls' as he puts it.
Steve declines taking advantage of his clients
When Steve was asked how he handles intense situations during his work, he vividly stated that he is human, but most importantly, he knows how to control his mind in such situations.
"I'm human, I'm a man with feelings of course. A man's body will obviously react after touching a woman. The most important thing that I can say is I'm able to control my mind and I'm able to resist any kind of temptation.
"I'm always in control of the situation especially when things escalate on the client's end. I'm able to handle them and they feel good," Steve explained.
However, he also added that he always tells his clients that whatever they may feel during the massage session is temporary, and he cannot tolerate intimacy with clients because it would ultimately destroy their professional relationship.
Steve revealed that many ladies have offered to give him valuables in exchange for escalating their relationship to another level, but he always turns them down because he values and respects them.