A man in a profession most people picture differently

Massage therapy in the United States is a profession staffed mostly by women, and most people booking a first appointment picture a woman. After sixteen years in practice, the assumption is familiar, and worth addressing directly rather than leaving people to wonder.

What clients are actually asking

When someone hesitates about a male therapist, the question underneath is almost always about comfort and professionalism, not technique. It is a reasonable question. The answer is that a session is run the same way regardless: you say what is wrong, you are draped properly throughout, only the area being worked is uncovered, and you set the pressure.

Anyone who would rather book with a woman should book with a woman. That is not a difficult conversation to have, and no one should spend an hour on a table feeling uneasy about it.

Where the referrals come from

A good share of this practice's work has come through doctors and chiropractors across the DFW metroplex, sending patients across when hands-on treatment was the sensible next step. That kind of referral tends to be about outcomes rather than expectations, meaning whether the person receiving it got better.

Sixteen years in

The profession has changed over that time. More men work in it, more clients come through medical referral, and expectations have shifted with both. What has not changed is that the work is judged on whether the person on the table leaves in less pain than when they arrived.