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11The more sinister side of the ChattyHairdresser. LooseLips sink ships -- and where will you find looser lips than in the midst of centers of socialization and self-indulgence such as beauty parlors, barber shops, nail salons or massage parlors? People assume that the help is being paid for their discretion. But maybe they're only pretending to be a sympathetic ear about that project you're working on at work. Or maybe that fellow customer is just pretending to be waiting for the next empty styling chair as cover for hours of listening. Failing that, trapping some VIP (or their significant other or faithful subordinate) under the hairdryer or at the shampoo basin gives one an ''excellent'' opportunity to rifle through their purses or coat pockets...
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13In more fantastic settings, out-and-out [[{{Telepathy}} mind-reading]] might be involved, making spas particularly useful for {{psychic|Powers}}s who need proximity or touch in order to read minds. For more aggressive intelligence operatives, this may lead to a BathhouseBlitz or SaunaOfDeath.
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15----
16!!Examples:
17[[foldercontrol]]
18
19[[folder:Comic Books]]
20* The possible UrExample might be "The Adventure of the Beauty Club" from ''ComicBook/WonderWomanCharlesMoulton'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] #6, where the ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} runs the titular beauty club for Army officer's wives. The treatments are meant to distract the clients, and in some cases immobilize and terrorize or torture them to allow a blackmailed telepath to gather intel without the wives ever knowing they'd betrayed the military secrets they were privy to.
21[[/folder]]
22
23[[folder:Fan Works]]
24* In ''Fanfic/WithPearlAndRubyGlowing'', [[WesternAnimation/Shrek2 the Fairy Godmother]], a spy for the human trafficking ring The Ark, runs a beauty salon as a front to kidnap attractive clients to ship back as sex slaves.
25[[/folder]]
26
27[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
28* ''Film/InLikeFlint'': The Fabulous Face beauty spa uses special hairdryers to {{brainwash|ed}} their female clients into becoming ardent feminists. It then uses them as spies for the organization.
29* ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'': Franchise/JamesBond enters a spa to gain information from Domino Pitachi, posing first as a client, then slipping into her room as a masseur.
30-->'''Bond:''' Do you serve men here?
31-->'''Receptionist:''' Yes...some more than others.
32[[/folder]]
33
34[[folder:Literature]]
35* In one ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'' case, a ''customer'' nabs an important secret from the ''owners'' because they thought she couldn't hear them under the hairdryer. Turns out she is deaf to begin with, and reads their lips.
36* In ''Literature/TheSicilian'', a barber passes on information to the chief of police by whispering in his ear while he's cutting the policeman's hair. No-one suspects anything until a policeman defects to Guiliano's gang and tips him off.
37* One appears in ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'', running a spa with a secret bunker hidden under one of the baths (the one that no-one ever wants to go in). She notes that "[[MotorMouth talk as much as I do]], [[ObfuscatingStupidity it takes people a while to notice I don't actually say anything.]]"
38* ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'': The witch-queen poses as an innkeeper to lure Yvaine into a relaxed state in order to cut out her heart and regain youth. As part of this, she gives Yvaine a hot bath and a massage. When Prince Primus shows up with Tristan, throwing her plan off course, [[spoiler: she slits his throat while he's in the bath.]]
39* ''Literature/StarWarsCantoBight'': In "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing", Ganna wants to use Lexo this way, since many of Lexo's clients unintentionally gossip and reveal important information to him. Lexo refuses to be one.
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
43* The finale to ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' has special guest villainess Minerva (Creator/ZsaZsaGabor) reading billionaire spa-goers' minds with her special "Eggplant Jelly Vitamin Scalp Massage".
44* ''Series/TheBionicWoman'': In "Brain Wash", Oscar's secretary Peggy Callahan falls victim to a spa with [[CaughtOnTape hidden tape recorders]] and TruthSerum-laced shampoo. For extra points, the guy running the salon is her ''fiancé.''
45* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Inverted in "[[Recap/BrooklynNineNineS5E12SafeHouse Safe House]]", where Rosa Diaz goes undercover as a SpicyLatina to get information out of a hairdresser. They bank on their target being a ChattyHairdresser, but she ends up being a tough nut to crack, requiring Rosa to get a perm ''and'' go blonde in order to get the information they need.
46* ''Series/BurnNotice'': In "[[Recap/BurnNoticeS1E9HardBargain Hard Bargain]]", Michael poses as a hostage negotiator trying to rescue a kidnapped girl. The leader of the kidnapping ring, Reyes, meets him in a massage parlor, which Michael tells him is smart, because it means Reyes knows Michael isn't wearing a wire (or anything besides [[ModestyTowel a towel]], for that matter). After Reyes leaves, Mike asks the masseuse if they paid her for the whole hour.
47* ''Series/{{VIP}}'': Nikki meets one target at a spa's sauna, with both of them wearing only {{modesty towel}}s. When he's suspicious of her wearing a wire underneath it, [[DressHitsFloor she drops it]] to [[NudityEqualsHonesty prove she isn't]], framed with a BetweenMyLegs and ToplessnessFromTheBack shot. Then she [[SupermodelStrut walks up to him in a slow and seductive fashion]] to keep him [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted]] until she gets close enough to start strangling him with the towel.
48* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'': The episode "I Do, I Do" features a spa with mind-reading ''massages'', which the proprietor uses to gain classified information from [[spoiler:the wives of government agents]].
49[[/folder]]
50
51[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
52* In the ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' adventure "The Sorcerer's Slave", Byzantium's famous Baths of Zeuxippus are secretly run by an [[AmbitionIsEvil amoral, ambitious]] mage who spies on the guests for useful information. He's aided in this by an invisible water spirit who can [[EmotionControl manipulate emotions]] and [[{{Telepathy}} read minds]]. In addition, the {{Player Character}}s are expected to disrobe like every other guest, making it quite difficult to keep hidden weapons or equipment.
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Video Games]]
56* ''VideoGame/LikeADragonIshin'' has the Bathkeeper of Sai, an information broker who conducts business out of the Harami bathhouse. Ryoma and Saigo going to him for information at roughly the same time leads to a BathhouseBlitz between the two of them until the Bathkeeper breaks it up by splashing the both of them with hot water.
57* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': The Lotus Blossom spa and massage parlour is a front for the local [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Tong]] gang (and, therefore, for [[spoiler:the shadowy [[ChineseVampire Kuei-Jin vampire]] cabal]]). Given the peepholes and [[CaughtOnTape hidden recording equipment]] in some of the rooms, it's implied that the Tongs engineer [[HappyEndingMassage compromising situations]] to use as {{Blackmail}} material.
58* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'': The bathhouse in Novigrad is run by Sigi Reuven, also known as Sigismund Dijkstra, former head of Redanian intelligence. Information is still his preferred currency to exchange for favors. He uses the bathhouse as a meeting ground for the heads of the big four crime syndicates in Novigrad. Before attending a meeting, clothes and weapons are stowed in cubbies in a separate room. When one crime boss breaks away and [[BathhouseBlitz attacks the bathhouse]], Geralt and the other three are forced to fend off the attack in [[ModestyTowel nothing but towels]] using the clubs Dijkstra keeps in his personal bathing room.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Web Comics]]
62* ''Battle Bunnies'': Master Varanasi receives ImpossibleThief Connie at a sauna in Azkenderan, where he and his bodyguards are naked, except for {{modesty towel}}s. Connie at first refers to Varanasi as Azkendaren's "resident Rajland spy" before correcting herself with "trade magnate." She is charged with absconding a MacGuffin from a covert Kahn force operating in the city's ForbiddenZone. Notably, the sauna is chosen to preclude weapons, yet Connie can produce a blade as if from {{Hammerspace}}. The subtext is clear: if Varanasi tries to alter the deal, Connie can and will subtract him, precautions notwithstanding.
63[[/folder]]
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65[[folder:Western Animation]]
66* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpyGroove'' involves the two spies investigating a spa that targets fashion models to CaptureAndReplicate.
67[[/folder]]

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