Male Issues in Practicing Massage
Therapy
One of the most common questions
that I get is "Will I have trouble as a male working in the massage
profession?" My answer is "If you think you will have trouble,
then you will."
In the massage profession, men seem
to be the minority. People who want massages are most likely to want to
have one from a woman. Men don't want to be massaged by men because of
some projected issues of what that means- homophobic fears or whatever it may
be. Men will prefer the nurturing of a woman. What is creating this
situation? Are people less trusting of men in general?
I for one have seen men create this
themselves by playing into it. While it is essential to create a safe
environment and honor clients' requests to be worked on by a person of their
choice, it can often undermine the efforts of a male therapist. If a male
therapist assumes that a woman (or any client) will prefer a woman therapist,
they are already setting themselves up for failure.
In order to change this misconception about
being worked on by a male massage therapists, men need to learn to educate
potential clients enough about the benefits of massage that people will no
longer care as much.
There are many very successful males in the
massage profession. There are many men who have become leaders and work as
teachers and have worked in developing new massage techniques.
Men are great massage
therapists. From a female perspective, it can be very healing to build a
relationship with a male massage therapist and learn that men can be nurturing
and sensitive. There are men and women who actually request to be worked
on by men. Men are an essential part of healing for many. While there may
be specific cases of women and who are absolutely are not able to have a man
work on them, I would think that people who have such issues are working
on them and may eventually be able to allow a man to touch them.
There are many men who become great
teachers in our profession too! Male massage therapists can be a big part of the
healing that needs to be done around male issues that both sexes are faced with.
Massage and getting nurturing touch can help resolve early attachment issues
that were created with so many people having poor male role models early in
life.
Part of the problem is that there are many men who do give the
wrong idea and present themselves questionably so men are faced with a negative
public image. There are many misconceptions like male massage therapists
must be gay and want to work on gay men for the purpose of a sexual
relationship. It is created by a few men who do exactly that.
But women are faced with the same thing. Do men go to
women expecting to have a sexual act performed on them during the massage?
What is essential is that we start talking about this
issue. Male massage therapists need to come out of the closet (so to
speak) and get support in dealing with such issues.
Clarifying your personal mission statement and who your ideal client is may be an essential part
of building a practice if you are a male massage therapist. This can be
done in the process of supervision or peer
supervision groups. The only way to get past this issue is to go
through it. Talking about it with other massage professionals is essential
in healing this in our profession. We can't change what we won't
acknowledge.
Talking about and understanding the issues that men have as a
massage therapist are one of the most important discussions the massage
profession can have as it can really assist our profession in healing.
Read more on my blog and share your stories of challenges and
successes being male or working with men in the massage profession.
The need for male massage therapists
Men as Massage therapists
Resources and Articles Online:
www.male-massage-therapist.com - Sean Slovik's site on being male in the
massage profession
Male
Massage Therapists -by Ryan Hoyme, licensed massage therapist,
Minnesota. Also a teacher at Minnesota College. Men can be successful in
the massage profession
Uniquely
Male -by Charles Wiltsie III of Haddam, CT.
Male Bodyworker Issues: Bridging the Gender Gap
Massage and Bodywork Magazine
A New Beginning: Massage Therapy Students Tell Their Stories
Massage Today September, 2004, Volume 04, Issue 09
a touchy subject
Do clients have a gender preference when it comes to their therapist?
By Ryan Van Meter
Bodywork online Forum on Male massage therapist issues
Man Power Male Therapists Talk About Discrimination By Robert Chute
Gender in the Profession Massage
from Mars or Venus? By Karrie Osborn
10
Marketing Tips for Male Therapists By Robert Chute
