Four Unprofessional Massage Therapist Behaviors That Cross the Line
November 29, 2024
What Every Massage Client Should Know
This blog is for anyone who receives professional massage. Every massage client should know what’s okay and what isn’t. You should never be made uncomfortable in a massage session.
Understanding and respecting personal and professional boundaries is a crucial aspect of massage therapy. When a massage therapist fails to acknowledge these boundaries, it can lead to serious consequences. Whether it’s a therapist with loose boundaries, a therapist who is careless in their draping or massage technique, or even one who makes inappropriate comments, or worse, a sexual predator, the results can be harmful. It’s important to be aware of the signs of therapists who don’t respect boundaries. Here are four unprofessional massage therapist behaviors that cross the line.
Excessive Self-Disclosure
Therapists are taught not to talk about themselves, their personal problems, or their opinions in a massage session. If therapists talk incessantly about themselves with their clients or discuss any charged topics like religion, politics, or the state of the world; this is a sign to pay close attention. It says they have trouble controlling what they say, and they don’t have what we call impulse control, which is a dangerous quality in a massage setting. This means that they may act on other types of impulses.
Positive or Negative Comments About You and Your Body
They might make comments like, “You have a great body,” “You have an athletic, attractive body,” or “Do you know you have a really awful-looking mole on your back? You should get rid of that.” In a sexual abuse case I was testifying in, a therapist said, “How is your sex life?” No professional therapist should ever make these comments or ask questions like that. These statements are what are called red flags. A red flag statement indicates danger. Either the person is out of touch with themselves and/or you. They lack awareness of interpersonal boundaries, and they have difficulty seeing the difference between what they want and what you may want.
Inviting You into a Different Relationship
Another inappropriate action, which is also a big red flag, is asking to see you outside of the massage treatment context, essentially inviting you into a different relationship. This may be asking you out on a date, wanting to explore being your friend, or something else, like investing in a business venture. All these invitations violate the client-therapist relationship. In this relationship, it’s all about you, meeting the needs of the client, not about what a therapist wants for themselves. Predators or just people with poor boundaries have trouble separating their identity from others.
Offering a Client a Massage at a Different Location
If a therapist works for someone else, like in a clinic or a spa, they agree not to take clients away from that business. That business has spent a lot of time, energy, and money finding you to be its client. A therapist who offers to treat you at a different location, like their home, their private office, your home, or for a lower price, crosses a line. This is stealing and can indicate danger. They are violating the trust and the boundary established between them and their employer. If the therapist is willing to violate that boundary, they are likely to violate others.
These Behaviors are Dangerous
A massage therapist who engages in any of these behaviors poses a danger to all clients and should be immediately reported to their employer. A responsible employer will thank you and respond immediately by starting an investigation. An unprofessional employer will try to minimize what you have said and brush you off.
Being aware of appropriate boundaries helps keep you safe.
Watch this blog for more patient safety recommendations, and if you’re in need of a professional massage therapist who focuses on chronic pain relief and rehabilitation, you can book an appointment with Dr. Benjamin here.
Ben E. Benjamin holds a Ph.D. in Sports Medicine and was the founder and President of the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is the author of dozens of articles on working with injuries and chronic pain as well as the widely used books in the field, Are You Tense?, Exercise Without Injury and Listen To Your Pain: The Active Person’s Guide to Understanding, Identifying and Treating Pain and Injury. Dr. Benjamin has been in private practice for over 50 years and teaches therapists throughout the country.