What's the difference between male and female therapists? Some people seem to have preconceived notions about men vs. women. The truth is, there is very little difference. There are however, some myths that exist, one of them being that if you want really deep tissue, you need a male. You just need one of my massages to know that's a myth.
I've also known some men and women who are simply uncomfortable having a male therapist, such as a client who said she was looking for a therapist who was non-judgmental cause she was slightly insecure about her body, but I can assure you that a legitimate massage therapist doesn't think anything about the body except as parts that need fixing, like the way a mechanic looks at a car.
However, there are times when gender requests are understandable. For example, there are some religions that prohibit women from being massaged by men. The other reason gender might be important is empathy. As a woman, there might be some specific areas of pain that I might have that a male therapist would not understand. When I was pregnant, there were various pains that I had where I would have to explain in gruesome detail to my husband, while any woman whose ever had a kid could say, "I've been there." Another example: I was working on a female client who never liked her calves being worked on cause it hurt too much, but as a woman, I understood the pain she was feeling because it was the result of wearing heels, something very few men do, so my approach ended up being more therapeutic.
To conclude, there's no difference between male and female in terms of pressure or technique. Any difference between genders is purely a personal choice or religious obligation. If you're worried about what they'll think about you're body, like they'll think it gross, or worse, that they'll be attracted to it, the truth is, they don't care. My challenge to you is to be adventurous. Call a clinic and get a massage from whoever is available regardless of gender. (Religious obligations excepted.)
