Replies

Not true.

My husband is a medical massage therapist specializing in injury rehab. His practice is about 50%-50% men and women. I take his appointments and any male client who insists on only a female therapist is referred to someone else. We suspect that some of those who do not want a male therapist are seeking some degree of sexual release. Usually, when such a client is politely informed that this is a medical massage practice, they actually apologize for assuming it was sexual.

Glute work is done _through_ the sheets and all female clients wear gowns. He has Amish clients of both genders and many physician referrals. Actually, more women are insecure about a male therapist than men. When someone is hurting, they want expertise, above all. To anyone making assumptions about a male massage therapist, I want to know if they insist on a female proctologist or if they have reservations about any male MD who specializes in urinary or genital problems.

As to homosexuals, some are really disgusting and I wash the sheets, so this is a personal observation. Anyone who behaves in this manner is banned immediately, including being asked to leave in the middle of a session.

We have had female physician referrals where the MD warned us that the client had a history of presenting herself provocatively. In such instances, I will be present, usually charting. If that doesn’t dissuade the client, she is simply asked to find another therapist. We have licenses to protect and malpractice insurance to maintain. No one needs to be sued.

Massage is a legitimate modality for soft tissue injuries. It is not sexual. As another poster said, just ask any sports team. Deep tissue work, especially when practiced for 6 hours/day, is difficult physical work. Most women cannot sustain this sort of practice. It takes stamina, strength and athletic ability on the part of the therapist, who is trained in methods to mitigate the strain on their own hands and body.

I have worked on bodybuilders of both genders and I can tell you from experience that it is similar to attempting to massage a ham. I had to ice my hands after these sessions.

When I was in training, one of our male instructors gave us the best answer for any male making inappropriate demands:”We are only trained to work on _soft_ tissue.”

Simply not true. Some of the finest masseuses were Physical Therapists who specialized in either deep tissue therapy or field medical aid. One guy I knew was able to keep people who were basically disabled moving. The other was an emergency PT for the Rockettes in NYC and the Miami Dolphins. They not only helped me with pinched nerves but other friends who ran into severe soft tissue issues.

Really, maybe it's a statement of your health that you never had to find a male PT, but don't discount their contribution to the quality of life for others.