By Monica Bingley & Ross Ashcraft
80% of massage therapists are women but many veteran spa-goers actually favor male massage therapists. This, according to The American Association of Massage Therapy is because of the power typically male therapists bring to the massage room. Male massage therapists often have additional strength, which can be useful with Neuromuscular Massage & Sports Massage.
Deep tissue styles of massage are mainly focused on areas with chronic muscle tension or knots, and may require deep pressure. Many seem to think that only male therapists can give the required level of strength that the therapist‘s fingers, hands, elbows, and forearms deliver. Most males have larger fingers and hands; because a female’s hands and fingers are on average smaller then a male’s. My petite fingers make it much easier to get into the smaller areas where knots live. Neuromuscular Massage and Sports Massage also have numerous movements where female therapists can more easily move around the table unlike our massively muscled male counterparts.
Ashiatsu typically uses the heel, arch and/or whole plantar surface of foot, and offers hefty compression, tension and shear forces with less pressure than elbow or thumb, and is perfect for application to large muscles, like the thigh. Being a female, I would rather a women’s feet apply deep pressure in this way than a man’s.
In my opinion, leaving Neuromuscular Massage and Sports Massage to just male therapist would be a tragedy. Ladies, let’s not limit ourselves to using only our thumbs or even just our forearms. Let’s not limit our client’s massage experience. There is a whole world of techniques that we can add to our repertoire and be amazing. Being female and also able to add deep tissue into a massage broadens the experience for our clients and makes us more marketable in our industry.
Fellow Male Therapists….we will not be limited 😉
References:
http://spas.about.com
barefootcompressiontherapy.com
The holiday season is officially here, and finding the perfect gift for your loved ones…
Clary Sage College Presents “Cuts 4 Kids”: Free Haircuts for a Confident School Year Join…
Discover Your Future at Our Experience Days! Are you ready to take the next step…
Today, we’re excited to share information about an upcoming event bringing smiles and fresh haircuts…
Are you looking to start a rewarding career as a massage therapist? If so, then…
The origins of massage therapy can be traced back thousands of years, with evidence of…