People often don’t realize there is a HUGE difference between a masseuse and a massage therapist. Let me clear that right up for you now, ok? A masseuse is a sex worker. A massage therapist is a person who has gone to school and been educated in the art of massage. So when someone calls me a masseuse, it kind of makes my skin crawl.
Now, I totally get that plenty of people really do not know the difference. My mother, for example, when she realized what I did for a living, was telling plenty of people that I was a great masseuse! If she only knew what she really was telling people..omg! But when I explained the difference, she immediately changed her tune and that was all there was to that. Her face went red, and she never said that word again! Thank God.
But ya know what really chaps my nerves? When I’m out in public, and someone hears I’m a licensed massage therapist and they just have to go there. I realize it’s not about me. I don’t take it personally. It just amazes me how many have to go there. The numbers are staggering. It is an old joke by now, and not terribly amusing.
Today I did a search of massage forums, because I’m trying to find ways to get my website on searches. Mainly so when people do a google search for oncology massage, or massage therapy in Elmira or Horseheads, NY, my website will come up. One of the suggestions, was to find a popular forum and post a link to your website. So, I went on a popular forum, looked up massage and started reading.
99% of the massage forum was sex related!
I was so irritated! I had taken the time to read the site, go over the site, join the site, put in my information, password etc. Now I had to delete, delete delete…and hope that no one on that forum could manage to get any of my information.
So I guess its not terribly surprising this attitude is still prevalent. It’s on forums on the internet. There are massage parlors offering plenty of services that have nothing to do with massage, and plenty of clients willing to pay for the extra attention.
Still, it doesn’t make me happy. I worked my butt off in that school to get educated. I’m still studying and working constantly to learn more all the time. I take my job seriously. I take my clients and their pain seriously. My job is not a joke to me. I can’t slap you if you call me a masseuse, or if you make sexual jokes about my job. But believe me when I say, if that’s how you plan on communicating with me, then you can watch me walk away, and no you cannot have my card. (MIKE DROP)