Masseuse vs. Massage Therapist

There was a piece on a morning radio show yesterday about "Men Massaging Men: Is That Weird?". The discussion was pretty superficial, but at least there were positives that were introduced such as female MTs being able to deliver significant pressure. By the end of the show, myself and my MT peers were able to at least get the hosts to stop calling us "masseuses". This led to one of my co-workers sending me the following question:

"Is there a difference between a masseuse and a massage therapist?"

Here's the reply:

Sara,

Big Time.

We don’t have different gender terms for a doctor, physical therapist, or psychologist. “Masseuse” and “masseur” are outdated terms referring to male and female massage practitioners and nowadays it is often used to refer to a less skilled or less professional massage practitioner. The preferred term these days is massage therapist (MT) – which takes the emphasis off of the gender of the practitioner so it can be placed on what really matters; their competence. The gender of the MT is not nearly as important as their ability to address the needs of their client; a good MT will make a client feel safe, respected, welcome, and cared for.

Masseuse has connotations with the shady side of massage – bath houses, parlors, and the sex trade. The massage therapy profession is working hard to differentiate massage therapy from prostitution in the eyes of the public and, unfortunately, regulatory agencies in city government. Massage therapists, including our students, have to deal every day with people who illegitimize or invalidate what we do. We have to justify our profession, educate the ignorant, and refute misconceptions on a daily basis. The terms masseuse and masseur simply serve to reinforce those outdated misconceptions about massage and the people who practice it.

An MT would be ignorant and naïve to think that human sexuality can be exorcised from a person for the duration of their massage session. Massage is holistic and addresses a person’s entire being. Massage is an intimate service and obviously involves touching and disrobing. Our society sexualizes everything (especially women) and is highly homophobic. In the US, most of the touch people experience is either violent or sexual. If a person has never experienced anything else, it is easy for a person to simply classify massage as sexual (because it’s obviously not violent and it feels good, right?). As MTs, we have to educate our clients about even the very existence of nurturing, therapeutic touch as one of the primary responsibilities of our profession. Proper draping, establishing rapport with a client, and protecting boundaries are some of the foundational skills of a massage therapist. Some people will always have preferences for males or females, but many people don’t care and we shouldn’t emphasize gender through having different terms for male and female practitioners.

Calling an MT a masseuse typically reveals ignorance and is just repeating what somebody else has said. It is often received as a degrading, condescending, dismissive, or insulting comment to the MT. Often we patiently educate the one using the word or harboring the misconceptions, but inside an MT will feel the frustration of having to fight the battle one more time. It can truly be exhausting. All MTs dream of the day when stating you are an MT is a badge of honor, a profession that is understood and esteemed instead of joked about. We work towards it one conversation at a time and hope that we can get through to people such as yourself who are curious and desire to know. I hope that the next time you hear someone say “masseuse” or deride our profession that you can be an advocate on our behalf and change another mind.

Thank you for asking and thank you for the opportunity! Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Teach Your Inner Circle

This made me realize how even the people who I work with; fellow teachers, admissions reps, other program directors, and students in different programs don't know about what we do. It is up to us to teach our friends, family, peers, clients, and the general public about our profession. What we stand for and what we are about. We do it every day already. Your best friends may talk you up to their circle, but if they don't know the right things to say they may be hurting you and our profession through their ignorance.

Teach them. It doesn't have to be formal, but make sure that you explain how you would like them to discuss your work, what your philosophy is. Develop a mission statement and actually show it to people. Hone your message and you will find your circle using your own language when they describe your work.

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