Massage Therapist vs Masseuse
Massaging the soft tissues of the body along with muscles, with hands, especially fingers, providing pressure at points that feeling sore has long been an art called massage therapy. It has been used by men and women, to get relief from a tired and aching body and for recharging a tired body. The person who is giving massage with the help of oils has traditionally been referred to as a masseur or a masseuse depending upon gender. There is another word called massage therapist that is increasingly being used these days to refer to a person having received training in massage techniques. This article intends to clear all confusion regarding these two words.
Masseuse
When we speak about doctors, we never describe their genders, do we? Then why do we tend to refer to someone giving massage as a masseuse, if she is a woman, and a masseur, if he is a man? In addition, because the respected profession of massage therapy somehow along the line got a bad name for itself with massage parlors and the girls providing massage to customers being equated with prostitutes. The word masseuse has negative connotations because of this practice of providing sensuous pleasures to male customers by females at massage parlors. Some of the masseuse may be excellent massage providers, but this extra (some sexual favor or even going full hog) that the word masseuse has come to connote has brought a bad name to the profession of massage therapy in general.
Massage Therapist
Despite the fact that a massage therapist is a professional who has received full massage therapy training having mastered the techniques of pain alleviation, he or she stands at a rung lower than a masseuse in the world of massage today. This is because he is a professional who is concerned with bringing relief from pain and charging a tired body, and not the least bit concerned with bringing sexual pleasures to his customer or client.
A massage therapist is a person who has completed a 3-year massage therapy course and spent nearly $10000 in tuition fees. He has studied books, practiced mastering the art of alleviating pain symptoms, and cleared the written examination to get a certification. It pains a massage therapist (RMT) to see people doing weekend courses having the audacity to call themselves massage therapists, and charge as much as a qualified massage therapist.
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What is the difference between Massage Therapist and Masseuse? • There are many who feel that a masseuse and a massage therapist are just two different names to refer to the person giving a massage. • Masseuse is a gender specific and is a female giving massage to her clients, while a massage therapist can be either a man or a woman having studied massage therapy techniques. • A massage therapist is a registered professional, who has nothing to do with providing something extra in the name of sexual favors that masseuses are known to provide in massage parlors. • A masseuse may be a sincere person giving relief from pain or tiredness, but the word has become associated with a prostitute in the guise of a person bringing sensuous pleasures.
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