“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
~ Steve Jobs
I apologize in advance but this situation has struck a nerve with me for the past 9 years and gets me heated every time it is brought to my attention.
Today as I was searching for pictures to add to my upcoming newsletter and in a simple search for ‘deep tissue massage’, I get several pictures of topless women. How does that happen? For far too long now I have listened to people ask about “happy endings” and look at me in disgust when I mention that I am a massage therapist. Contrary to the movies, TV, and rumors there is NO SEX in Therapeutic Massage! Any decent, self-respecting massage THERAPIST should have the intention on healing and health and no more, it’s in our Ethical Code.
I understand that many years ago there were brothels that incorperated massage “rubs” and from what I have heard there are, unfortunately, still some around today. The thing to recognize is that massage therapy is just that THERAPY. Science has proved that there are many benefits of therapeutic massage that can help people heal and become healthier. So please people, follow the paradigm shift and realize that massage therapy is health care NOT sexual!
On another note of a similar subject, the sex of your therapist really shouldn’t matter. I know to some people, they aren’t “comfortable” having the same sex or even the opposite sex working with them. Please understand that a certified trained massage therapist provides you a healthcare service just like a doctor, nurse, dentist, and so forth. Do you ask for any of those professions to be gender specific prior to your treatment? No, for the most part you go by recommendations and their credentials. In the same manner, a massage therapist’s work should speak for itself and not be determined by their gender but rather by their experience and credentials.
I have spent my career fighting for the legitimacy of my profession and won’t stop until my heart does, so I hope this rant was educational and has opened your eyes to my passion and the passion of my fellow massage therapists.