The need for Male Massage Therapists
May 14, 2008 by Julie Onofrio
Filed under Become a Massage Therapist, Ethics, News
The massage profession is predominately made up of women. ABMP reports that close to 83 percent are women. I have written about this topic before and there always seems to be more to be said about this. We need more men to be massage therapists!
Men are often intimidated in choosing a massage career. There are stories of men being discriminated against at spas or clinics with receptionists first asking if the caller wants a female or male massage therapist. The stigma is that women won’t want a male because they are intimidated by men or may have a past issue with men and they are untrusting of men. Men don’t want to be massaged by men thinking that the male massage therapist must be gay or that they will be thought of in less then favorable ways if they go to a male massage therapist. So who is left to go to a male massage therapist?
I for one am in a phase of only going to male massage therapists right now. The thing like the best is that men don’t seem to get caught up as much in some of the boundary issues that women do. Women seem to want to chat about everything and they want to offer all of their suggestions for healing or eating right or whatever it is when I just want a massage. I guess I have had male massage therapists talk the whole time too but I seem to find more male massage therapists who are just there to do the massage.
Working with a male massage therapist also helps teach us that males can be nurturing which can be good for either sex- female or male.
I have had males calling seeking male massage therapists (and not for a gay male exchange). Men have been hurt by women and men too so that a male working with a male massage therapist can receive the healing around gender issues that they need too.
Share you stories about working with male massage therapists by posting here. Posting on blogs is also a good way to get back links to your website which in turn helps you get a better Page Rank with Google.
What other issues are there in working with male massage therapists? How can we support men in choosing a career in massage? What do men need to know before choosing this career?
See also:
Male issues discussed at www.thebodyworker.com
The Male Massage Therapist -www.male-massage-therapist.com
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Richard Meyer,
Thanks for the book suggestion. I’ll look it up
Thank you as well…. I am a budding MT and I have had wonderful experiences in clinic so far. People have been genuine, supportive, and kind to me.
We as male MT’s should not be afraid to nurture, heal, and learn from one another. Our gift to help and heal should not be wasted or be taken away by others stereotypes.
I also practice Reiki and have incorporated it into my routine. MT’s looking to “boost” there healing energy I highly recommend it!
Thanks for addressing concerns regarding male therapists. I’ve been in private practice for 10 years. I have a wide variety of clients, most of them are female who have been with since the beginning. They are awesome people!
I highly recommend “The Highly Sensitive Person” by Elaine Aron. She addresses cultural prejudices against sensitive individuals, especially males. It helped put my life in a more perspective.
I am less defensive about being a massage therapist. I am proud to be someone that both men and women can trust. Being a male therapist with integrity is a powerful marketing tool.
Thank you so much for the article. So good to hear that people out there understand. Personally I found the best lesson was to forget all that they teach you in school. In Canada we study massage therapy for 3 years and the bulk of it is spent on professional issues, ethics, standard of practice, etc. After I had spent so much time focusing on these issues, I found it was taking up much of my focus and moulding how I communicated with female clients. And honestly, it gets to be a bit weird acting as if you are trying to protect your client against yourself. I found that once I was able to just focus on the client and assume that they didn’t have issues with men, and just be natural with them that things went more smoothly. Sometimes there can be just tooooooo much communication.
Interesting comments by all . . .
While I hold no gender specific qualifications, I’ve had a leaning toward male MT’s since my training at NHI in Emeryville, CA back in 1992.
My reasoning is personal and specific in that as an athletic and large female with excess weight I have benefitted from the strength ratio and leverage male muscle’s provide, and have found many male therapist with a talent for very focused and thorough work.
I’ve found some females that can present that same level of intensity and have enjoyed them as well.
Conversely, I have received some of the most nurturing and relaxing, if not subtle and energetic massages from males as well, so neither is it fair to say female MT’s are more nurturing.
Truth be told I had to grow a little around body work on so many different levels, that these experiences both comforting and uncomfortable have helped me heal and blossom beyond my imagined potential. It’s why I am so passionate about massage in the first place. The possibilities are endless when you particiate from a willing perspective for growth.
I’m always fascinated when groups of people become polarized on a belief about something as ambiguous as “male massage therapists”. It is neither likely, nor possible that every male MT will have the exact same professional challenges as every other male MT. So why is the “male” massage therapist an issue with so many?
As a massage therapist, I see my role as a participant in the body-care of my client, and success is dependent upon my ability to facillitate the directives of my client within the scope of massage.
Over the years I discovered a place for both deep, intensive work as well as gentle, even to the degree of subtle, body work. Often one client can require differing needs within the span of their treatment.
Isn’t it more fair to expect that “male” or “female”, continuous growth both personal and professional is neccessary by ALL massage therapists to produce a well rounded exerience for therapist and client alike, rather than focus on the worst fears of working with one gender or the other?
Kudos to all who are willing to re-evaluate the “male” therapist persective. I personally encourage each and every male MT to challenge themselves and the industry by producing their best work, and moving beyond the fear of isolation or difficulty.
Best of success to all of you!
~ B ~
rebelmassage@yahoo.com
http://www.massagemsoi.com
Thanks for the article… I am a male about to enter massage school and I’m shocked at how much discouragement I feel from friends, family, even strangers…. Maybe this is how women feel when they’re trying to start careers in most other male-dominated fields? Wish me luck, I could use the supoport:)
Don’t be discouraged Chris! I prefer having a guy do massage work for injury recovery or to loosen up my back. It’s rare to find male massage therapists in my area, so after reading this article, it’s encouraging to hear you are taking on the challenge. Keep up the good work!
- I went to my good friend’s massage therapist school since it was his final project to massage and get critiques from 50 clients before graduation. I went on 3 separate occasions to receive different treatments. The first visit was a 45-minute swedish massage. The 2nd was a 45-minute Sports Massage (within an hour after my spinning and yoga classes). The last one was a 45-minute Shiatzu massage. What I noticed from a male’s perspective that when I was having a massage from a male, it took me a bit longer to completely relax. I usually have massages from women, so I knew what to expect. When I went to my good friend (who is male) and after the initial “shock” of how I was naked under these few pieces of cloth, I calmed down and relaxed. After all, this is one of my closest friends and I’m sure he’s seen me in comprimising positions in college!. Needless to say, after that initial “warming up” period, I relaxed and enjoyed the experience. In terms of his technique, I thought he was much more apt to target the areas that were really bothering me. I liked that a lot: He was very personable to me. By the 2nd massage, I needed his help quite a bit and received the best targeted sports message I’ve ever had. He had a better grasp at targeting the muscle groups that I tightened up during spinning class and couldn’t fix through my yoga class. The additional strength in his hands aided as well. The 3rd massage was just masterful. I’m glad he works as one of the only males @ Borgata Casino in Atlantic City and he deserves every cent he receives. In short, I think that besides the modesty issue, I think that male massage therapists are better at being personable and really want to make the massage a completely stress-free event.
I think that ‘forewarning’ men is part of the problem. It sort of creates the whole problem. You can educate men as to the issues that they will be faced with but ‘forewarning’ them is setting them up for failure – at least that is what I think.
The thing is that many places do dissuade clients from seeing a male massage therapist just by the way they do ask – like they ask with a descending voice – Do you want a male or female?
I also think spas train people not to talk more but if a massage therapist is just working for themselves they tend to just talk more.
Julie
I also agree that it would be great to have more men in the industry. However, I think it is essential for schools to forewarn men about the difficulties they will face as therapists. There are many men and many women who are still uncomfortable receiving massage from a man. It may take a little longer to build up a regular clientèle.
As the owner of a massage facility, you have to walk a fine line when scheduling clients with a male therapist. Obviously, you don’t want to dissuade a client from going to a male massage therapist, but you don’t want an angry client walking out because they didn’t know they would be having a male therapist.
I believe the issue of conversation during the massage should be addressed through training at the spa facility. Neither men OR women should be subjecting a client to unwanted conversation during a treatment!
Hi, I’ve been licensed and working full time for 17 years. I have a lot of rules but my number one rule is I make shure I ask or whoever asks do you want a male or female therapist. the client should always chose. if they him and haaa over a male i will not work on them.to many places don’t give that choice bad idea.yes, more people ask for women. yes, it takes longer for a male to get clients,sorry but that is the life.stick to your rules you will get there.male or female it takes time to build to where you want to be.hang in there.and don’t talk through your sessions .GOOD LUCK TO US ALL>>>MEN AND WOMEN.feel free to ask me anything.I hope this helps.
Joe Giglio
cincinnati Ohio
An innteresting perspective you mention about the boundary issues involved in conversation while on the table (female therapist vs male therapists). I had not considered that, but I believe you are right now that I look back at my own experiences.
As usual, i thank you for the inbound link.
Sean
I appreciate this article, and completely agree with it. I have to admit, I was also apprehensive about working with men when I first started working as a massage therapist. I had to learn in class, and then through our school’s public clinic. I have come to almost prefer working with men, and women who are active. I am nervous about going into the field, looking at spas and preferrably sports and therapeutic areas, knowing that I am a male therapist who won’t be shown the love. Despite the skills.
Thank you, Jody, for your response. Communication and rapport building are now more important than ever.
Thanks for the great article! Having been in massage in central California for over 20 years I endured the issues of gender at a local spa. I would be on call for one day and when all the rooms were full of female therapists, there was no work for me. The spa would have three females and one male on shift. One of my colleagues figured out that men did approximately 25% of the massages! There was one job at a tennis resort where the massages were segregated, we were only allowed to work on men.
After going into private practice I found it best to work in the sports and therapeutic side. I worked for two males docs:am MD and a DC. I had a good run there until the insurance industry stopped allowing massages.
Now that I’ve had my own office for over 10 years, I have succeeded in establishing myself. I get many referrals from male MDs, PTs, etc. I have about a 70 percent female clientele and I rarely have gender issues. Many people come to see me because I have a great skill set, communicate clearly and have excellent boundaries. Many of these skills I had to learn and they are as important as my massage techniques. I have a couple of clients that come for relaxation, most are working with PTs or other providers and need more therapeutic work.
I would say that men need to learn listening and communication skills as well as boundaries. It is important to be impeccable with your work and constantly evaluate your practice.
Cheers,
Jody Hutchinson,ncmtb