The bottom line is that you are paying for a therapeutic experience based on the skills and abilities of the practitioner. Many men fear a male therapist might be gay, and while this could be true, it’s undoubtedly another projection onto a professional. Obviously, this stems more from self-judgement than the reality of a professional who works with many different bodies everyday. Women often state they feel more at ease with another woman lest they feel judged about their body. Ultimately, its the comfort level of the client and their preconcieved ideas of massage that may influence their decision of one gender of therapist over another. One would think that the gender of the therapist is of little significance…and for the most part, this is true. Nursing and teaching come to mind right away, but the massage industry has also been heavily populated with female practitioners.
Massage is a nurturing field of work, and historically, service industries in which caring is the focus have been predominantly occupied by women.