Had conversation recently with a client who had recommended me to a colleague. Her colleague though had only ever had massages from females therapists.  She was not prepared to even consider a massage from a male, despite my clients recommendations. She was only prepared to consider female on female massage. My client struggled to understand it and just put it down to the fact that she was concerned about the potential vulnerability being a female in a state of undress alone with a male.

And given that there have been reports of female clients being assaulted by male therapists then, to be honest, if this is the reason for why she does not want to be massaged by a male then that’s completely understandable. You want to be able to relax when receiving a massage and if the fear of being assaulted whilst you are on a table is even just at the back of your mind then that relaxation is never going to happen.

And particularly if you are a single female, inviting a male mobile massage therapist into your Sydney home and you are unsure whether you could feel comfortable to be undressed and massaged by a stranger then the chances are that the massage won’t work for you. So I completely get why you’d prefer a female to a male Sydney mobile massage therapist. You have a right to feel safe within the confines of a massage.

However, the conversation did get me thinking as I don’t believe that this is the only reason why female clients prefer to receive female on female massage. Other reasons include:

Prefer the touch of a female
On average, there is a difference in the way men and women touch. Men have larger hands, are stronger and probably have more hair on their forearms. You may simply prefer the way that a woman massages you compared with men.
As well I have heard from clients that they have had massages in the past from men that were too hard and rough for them. (If that has been your experience then please be aware that I do customise my massages for you – I don’t believe that a massage has to be painful to be effective + I also offer an unconditional guarantee).
Obviously there are many people who prefer a male’s touch to a female’s – mainly because of a firmer and stronger touch.

They are comfortable with receiving a male therapist but their partner isn’t
This does happen quite a lot (and is quite sad in my opinion). Many women don’t care who massages them – they just want to have a good massage (and often prefer the strength and touch of a male therapist). However, because of insecurities or for whatever reasons, their partners just don’t want them to be massaged a man. Over the years, I have lost a fair few regular clients who have started new relationships and then disappeared of the radar, and I’m speculating that it is because of this reason.
Not my place to interfere in other peoples relationships but I do find it a little sad for my original clients.

They are concerned with enjoying the massage “too much”
We are a touch deprived society and having a massage from a person of the opposite gender (or same, depending on your orientation) can awaken emotional and sensual responses during a massage. 

A common topic on massage group forums is men having to deal with having (unwanted) erections during massage. Whilst women don’t have to deal with the same visible reactions, feelings other than the pure physical touch may arise during a massage, even though it is not the intent of the massage therapist (nor the recipient). I suspect that some women choose not to have a massage from a man because they are concerned how they may feel with being touched by a male.  They just know that they can relax with a female on female massage without worrying about how they may react.

Body image concerns
Some women may be concerned about particular issues with their body and not feel comfortable being observed by a male. Whilst it may be easy to say that this should not be an issue as you should not be judged when being massaged, for some women it is a very real concern and needs to be recognised.