Female or Male Massage Therapist, Should It Matter?

In this day and age, people still can have strong gender biases. Nothing wrong with having preferences, but is the thinking of pre-judging based on chromosomes fair and correct?

I knew a female massage therapist once who was not that great at massage. Still, she would get requested just because she was a female vs. colleague male massage therapist who was excellent, but some clients would not want to be booked with him because she was a male. They were either scared or had overcome the gender issue.

It’s quicker for female therapists to build a following, but following that, male massage therapists are stronger and more result-driven than female followings.

Our society has trouble recognizing therapeutic touch with sensual touch still. That’s the line that should be clear and not blurry.

We have found that someone in pain will want to receive a quality treatment, and someone who has other ideas in mind, whether lonely or just lacking companionship, might be more biased towards what gender they prefer to work with. While there’s nothing wrong with that, there are two different treatments and reasons for getting a treatment.

Do male therapists have deeper pressure?

When the therapist is offering therapeutic massage, a client should not sexualize it because the therapist does not intend to be that way. Male or female massage therapist is the same as male or female dentist or a nurse. Massage therapy’s role is to treat pain and induce relaxation, not meet the sexual needs or fantasies of a person booking a session. After all, clients’ muscles will respond to a good technique of massage and not the gender who is performing it. As long as you are in a reputable business, you will be safe with either therapist.

Not all massage therapists have been trained equally, and not all perform the same styles or add-ons to a massage. Choose the one that is most skilled in your area of needs, not the gender.

If you had trauma and are uncomfortable with a particular gender therapist, there is nothing wrong with requesting a specific gender-based.

Should it be about the therapist’s technique and not gender?

However, it is not valid if you think one gender is better than the other at massage therapy. Or, if you have heard that males have deeper pressure or females are gentler, that is not true either. All therapists are trained to adapt to a person’s comfort level for the pressure; they are certified professionals. Each therapist has different likes and dislikes of techniques, music, and ways they work, and might be more talkative, less talkative, etc. Massage therapists are appropriately trained to accomplish whatever needs to be done during a session. You can communicate the reason for your visit and anything that needs to adjust during the session.

It is not wrong to get a tooth filled by any gender professional or have your sandwich prepared, so is getting a massage regardless of gender.

Have you been given a chance to both?

What has your experience been, and do you have a preference?

Brilliant Massage & Skin

Burlington, Vermont