For those of us that have gone through massage school, we are taught that the meaning of massage is the manual manipulation of soft body tissues to ease tension, improve circulation and reduce pain. While as therapists, we strive to promote the true meaning of massage, we are constantly facing the challenge of the general public's perception.

A History Lesson

One force is the way entertainment, including movies, TV and books often refer to the practitioner as a masseuse / masseur. While these terms have been around since before the writings of Per Henrik, considered the father of Swedish massage, masseuse / masseur started being used by prostitutes in the 1950's to disguise themselves in the industry. This was the beginning of our uphill battle.

Area entertainment magazines can cause more harm than good by the way massage services are classified. One well-known local entertainment magazine breaks massage listings into two categories. One is the therapeutic massage where a state license number must be in the listing. The other is simply massage and no license number required. While this makes sense to the therapist, we can hardly expect the general public to pick-up on the difference here. An unsuspecting client could easily chose the wrong therapist, giving all therapists a rough reputation.

What You Do, Matters

Your hours of operation should clearly state the intent of your business. However, the time of day you answer the phone may send a different message. For example, the therapist that turns the phone off at 8:00 p.m. with a voicemail giving the hours of operation will send an entirely different message than the therapist who answers the phone at 11:00 p.m. Late night / last minute calls seldom translate to therapeutic massage.

The way you dress can also be a contributor to the public's perception. And I'm not just talking about in the treatment room. Your dress when stopping by the store can influence the wrong clients if you happen to have a shirt on advertising your business and shorts that are inappropriate for your treatment room. This also holds true if your business cards are hanging on a community bulletin board and you are nearby looking less than professional. It all goes back to first impressions and the power they have. Dress for success in the massage industry simple means appropriate attire for the treatment room.

The public perception of massage therapists is gender neutral. Both sexes are subject to the general public's ideas of what we really do. For many, it all comes down to educating potential clients on why our regular clients chose us. Stress what makes you different — specializes in deep tissue, hot stone, stretching or cupping. Place the emphasis on your therapeutic skills. Explaining your motivation will go miles in assuring the client they are hiring the therapist best suited for them.

Even if you do everything right and have taken every precaution, there is always a chance of that one person who is oblivious to your skills or feels they can change the course of the session. When in this situation, the best we can do is end the service while educating the client on what legitimate, licensed massage therapy is all about. The education you provide may very well help the next massage therapist they encounter.