Amsterdam winters are rarely extreme, but they are damp, windy and long, and the cold lingers well into spring. Many of the city's flats, especially in older buildings, are hard to heat quickly: tall windows with single glazing, wooden floors over unheated stairwells, radiators that take an hour to warm a room. A hotel room adjusts with a thermostat; a rented canal-house flat needs planning. An outcall massage on a cold night is one of the pleasures of a winter visit, provided the room is warm enough before the session begins. This article explains how to get it there.
Why temperature matters more than usual
A room that feels pleasant when you are dressed feels cold when you are lying still with oil on your skin. Oil and gel cool as they meet the air. A draught you do not notice while walking around becomes obvious soon after you lie down. The therapist brings warmed oils and plenty of towels, but she cannot heat the room. As a guide, the room should feel slightly too warm to you while dressed; that is roughly the right temperature for the session.
Outcall massage on a cold night: start heating early
Older Amsterdam flats heat slowly. If you are staying in one, turn the heating up as soon as you send the booking message, not when she texts that she is close. The forty to sixty minutes she needs to reach a central address is about how long a slow radiator needs too. A few practical points:
- Check that every radiator valve in the bedroom is open. Short-let hosts sometimes leave them closed.
- Close the bedroom door so the heat stays in one room rather than warming the whole flat.
- Draw the curtains; they cut the cold from tall windows noticeably.
- If the flat has a portable electric heater, use it in the bedroom, well away from the bed, linen and curtains.
Draughts in canal houses
Canal houses were built long before insulation. Gaps around window frames, a letterbox in the street door, or a loft hatch above the stairs can all bring cold air into a room. Roll a towel along the bottom of a draughty door. Move the bed away from the window if the room allows it and your host would not mind. If the flat has a sleeping loft under the roof, it may be the warmest place in winter, since heat rises; the journal article on stairs and no lift covers getting there.
Hot water
Some older flats and houseboats heat water with a small boiler that runs out after one long shower. If your session includes a shower, such as nuru, body-to-body or soapy, do not use all the hot water yourself beforehand. Take a short shower, or shower earlier and let the boiler recover. If you are unsure how much hot water the flat has, choose a format that takes place on the bed, such as sensual massage or erotic oil, and shower after she has left.
Houseboats in winter
Houseboats can be very cosy or very cold, depending on their heating. Most have a central heating system or a stove; a few rely on electric heaters. Start heating early, check the bathroom is warm too, and make sure the gangway is not icy before she arrives. The houseboat massage page has more on sessions on the water.
The arrival on a winter evening
She arrives from the cold, often wet from rain or wind. Open the street door promptly when she texts, so she is not left waiting outside. A towel by the door is a small courtesy that is always appreciated. Payment of the balance happens in the first minutes, in cash, by card or in crypto, and then she prepares the bed while the room stays warm.
Winter rates and timing
The season changes nothing about the figures. Cold weather adds no winter supplement to an hour or to ninety minutes for a single client with one therapist. A first booking with the house, or one made more than 24 hours ahead, is confirmed by a 50% deposit, and the peak dates around Christmas and New Year carry one for everyone. Winter evenings are dark by five, which many visitors find is a good time to book: the day's sightseeing is over, the city outside is cold and wet, and a warm room is the obvious place to be.