Male vs. Female Massage Therapists

Deciding whether you want a male or female massage therapist is one of the first questions you're faced when you get a massage.

When you make an appointment, the receptionist generally asks if you have a preference for male or female massage therapists. There are more female massage therapists in the business, and both men AND women tend to prefer women. Some of the reasons people prefer female massage therapists include:

• People feel vulnerable when they're nude, and want to feel safe.
• Women believe male massage therapists will be judging their bodies.
• People are worried the massage will be sexualized with male massage therapists. Men are afraid male massage therapists are gay....and women are worried they aren't!
• Many hetereosexual men find a woman's touch pleasant -- even when it's not sexual -- and find it easier to relax.

Massage therapists are trained to respect boundaries and use proper draping techniques, so these issues shouldn't be a problem. But since male massage therapists aren't as popular, anyone who doesn't state a preference will likely get booked with a male.

More experienced spa-goers often don't care whether massage therapists are male or female. They're comfortable with the routine, and know the most important factor is skill, not gender.

Some experienced spa-goers actually prefer male massage therapists. Male massage therapists often have more strength, which can be helpful with deep tissue massage And gay men, who are big spa-goers, tend to prefer male massage therapists.

Whether you prefer male or female massage therapists, feel free to state it up front. It's your massage, and you should enjoy it.