Question:: I want my husband to come in for a massage but he says he's afraid he might get an erection. Does that kind of thing happen?
Answer:: This seems to be the unspoken question that many men have and what may be keeping them from coming in for bodywork. I'll answer this question the way I talk to my clients and not speaking for every therapist.
Erections may happen. That's a truth. But in my opinion, so what? It's not personal. At the present time in my practice, I'd say the ratio is 70/30, male to female. Through word of mouth, these men come back and tell others because they tell me I am professional and make them feel comfortable.
Last year I was talking to a fellow female therapist who said that if her male client has an erection, she ends the massage and chastises him. I was appalled. An erection is a physiological response to massage; not an invitation for illicit behavior. I think therapists who respond as she does, and I've talked to a few, make it difficult for many men to seek bodywork that could do their body good.
Granted, if the client is making lewd comments, or touching himself or making his erection an issue, then yes, by all means, the session is over. But I tell you, in all my years of doing bodywork, I have NEVER run into a lewd man who outright solicited me.
So bottom line, men : if you happen to get an erection during your session, if you're with a professional bodyworker who upholds their boundaries and understands how the body works, this is a non-issue and I hope the "fear of" doesn't keep you from getting massage
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