Is your race a factor?

[:bbq:]

???I am a mulatto (half black,half white)woman starting school in September. Does anyone think that being black or of a certain race hinders people in this profession? I know it shouldn't but does it? How do people feel on doing massge of people of certain races? I personally wouldn't care if they were green but that's me. Also is there a type of person, not just race, that you wouldn't work on? Just kinda getting a feel.

 

[Michael]

Is your race a factor?

A colleague of mine that I go around and do various festivals/sporting events with is a black guy. I live in a very open/laid back town (Austin) and therefore don't really see it a lot. However, this colleague of mine has "given up" on ever doing this (massage business) full time. He says it just didn't work out for him and he had to get a security job and just do massage part time. Now I have no idea if the reason is because he just wasn't out there aggressively marketing himself or if it was because he was turned away for being black or maybe it was a bit of both. I do know that you can't give up and you have to perservere if you want something bad enough, no matter what race/ethnic background you may carry with you on your travels. Be well,Jen

 

[evilattorney]

Is your race a factor?

wow...i lived in austin for 10 years. i am in salt lake city now which does not have a big brown population to say the least but i absolutley LOVE ;D this city so im here to stay.....

 

[Pompal 09.]

Is your race a factor?

Breathe....yes, shades of blue can be a bit of a problem...;D, on the other hand, it might just be an extreme circulation issue... :There was another string going on for a while under "ethics" about male mt's and feeling descriminated against. I suspect the gender issue is probably a bigger concern than the race one in this field. I would agree with what Breathe says, that the impact of race has a lot to do with where you are. I am in the Boston area, which is very integrated, and my class is very mixed. None of the students I have talked with seemed to feel that they were concerned about it. Of course, it hasn't come up in conversation either.

 

[Princess Minx]

Is your race a factor?

I don't think you'll find much problem with racial discrimination or bias. I guess that now having been asked to look at it (I never have until now), my clientele is mostly white females, age 30-55 or so. I do have some clients whose ethnicities are different than that:  3 or 4 Middle Easterners (women), 1 Filippino guy, couple of black women, some Hispanic (both men & women). I never thought twice about it, but I guess I my work world isn't very diverse. hm. As a client, I have had massages by many different people: men, women, different herieforum.xxxes, ethnicities. I've very rarely had a poor massage experience (except way back when I posted that one who answered 2 cell phone calls & asked to leave the door ajar & then kissed my cheek afterwards! yikes).Jill/Sagetherapist

 

[ange]

I sure hope you don't experience discrimination.  Being as there doesn't seem to be a large population of color in your area, there might be some people who just aren't used to it.  I would think that if you don't feel prejudice in general in the community then you will most likely do okay.  Anybody I wouldn't work on?  Not that I can think of off the bat, except of course for obvious perverts and the like.  I did have a very conservative Jewish woman on my table one time and I felt a little nervous at first.  She had taken her wig off and put a turban on.  She kept a lot of her undergarments on.  I was a little nervous that I might offend her in some way if I touched something she didn't want touched.  I made extra sure to take extra time to go over the areas I was going to massage and to let her know that she should let me know if she was uncomfortable in anyway way with pressure, or with what I was massaging, etc.  She was very sweet, had an incredibly calming energy about her and the session was just fine.  So, not that I wouldn't work on them, but people who are very conservative put me on edge a little.  Not for any other reason than I am afraid I may accidentally step on a boundary.  

 

[SG Brittanys]

Allume, the only people I don't like to massage, or be massaged by, are those who are a bit on the stinky side. ;D ;DRace doesn't matter.  If you find someone who does care what race you are, then you probably wouldn't want anything to do with them anyway, would you?  Be proud of who you are, and don't let anyone stop you from getting what you want in life!

 

[James Yang]

Is your race a factor?

this is helping me a lot!!!! keep it going! ;D

 

[aaliyah]

Allume, may I ask why you are so self-conscious about your race?  This seems to be bothering you quite a bit, and it really concerns me.  Your belonging to different cultures is not a bad thing.  It gives you insight to all sorts of people.  Not all white people have the same background, neither do all black people, or hispanic people, etc.  We are all the products of different cultures and races, but we're all human.  It seems you're very worried about what you look like, and how people see you.  Please reply.

 

[Robby]

You asked, so I'll tell.I really don't like working on people who are obnoxiously demanding.  I don't care what race or ethnicity they are.  But if they are rude, or generally too nosey, I would rather them go elsewhere... and that issue crosses into all peoples.Stinky and "coming on to me" are not exactly positive points either.  I prefer to work on someone who is not sweaty or decided to come see me after a serious day of work and didn't shower.  And I prefer to not have to end a session , because someone couldn't keep their personal fantasies --- "personal".  I am also in the "green" category. Race really isn't an issue.I don't guess I'd want to get a massage from someone who didn't act in a professional manner.  Having a sense of humor is one thing... but acting a downright fool, is quite another, if you know what I mean.  Same as, I'd probably stay away from getting massage by a girl in a teeny-weenie tank top with a nipple hanging out too.  Even is she "acted" professional, I wouldn't feel comfortable in going back, because she certainly didn't look it.Hope that helps!Just my honest opinion~  

 

[RockTheCasbah]

Is your race a factor?

jellybeanbutterflyI am not self concious about my race. Far from it. I am just asking all questions I can think of in regards to massage. And if you saw the last part I asked also was there anyone you wouldn't massage. I have to say, although I am sure you didn't mean to, it offends me that you would even ask that. There are many questions I am asking on many boards. This is just one of them. As a good therapist and a good student I should be aware of all aspects.

 

[Lady Moe34]

Is your race a factor?

It's just like women in MT who expect men to be sexual predators and they are always on guard... it seems like they do encounter lots of predatory men. The female MT who expect that they will NEVER have problems with encounters of a sexual nature with clients generally don't. We really do create our own reality.

Oh I find that really, really offensive - the logical conclusion to that is children are creating their own reality with paedophiles - what a wonderful defence for any paedophile, "it's their reality, their reality invited me in".  Why limit your comment to female MTs?  Many male MTs have also had people (usually males) looking for more than a massage.

 

[Anne K]

If anything, the challenge to seduce a strictly professional MT with obvious boundaries is sometimes just too sweet to pass up for some people... of both sexes. For some its a psychological thrill as much as any other type. For others, they assume that because of your boundaries you are "clean" and a safer target for thrills.I really have to agree with Melb. The assumption that a therapist who gets hit on is looking for it, is absurd. We go through enough stress having to deal with the situation!That's the same thing they used to say about rape victims.I remember early in my career, massaging a professional athlete half my age. I felt comfortable working on him because he was a kid. He asked to begin face up, and I massaged him with no problems while he talked about his work. When I asked him if he would like to turn over so that I could work on his back, he said he couldn't, because he was in a "dream state". I said,"Huh?"He reiterated, "A drrrrrrrrream state."I went totally blank for a moment, until it occurred to me what his "dream state" was all about. That caught me so off guard that I said, "Are you kidding??!! I'm old enough to be your MOM!"He actually smirked at my shock. I had to tell him to roll over onto his stomach so I could work on his back and "think of dead puppies" if he wanted the massage to continue at all.He behaved. If you have worked in massage for any time, you'll have already experienced too many situations like that to have any notion of "asking for it."Please excuse the OT, allume! To answer your question, I've never encountered a situation where race had any negative connotations. Massage actually breaks those bounds.  I've said elsewhere that men from other cultures who assume on the spot that we are there for other purposes have been my pet peeve. (Mostly those where male-female touch within the same faith is normally prohibited.) I don't enjoy dealing with that stress when I'm trying to do my work. I'm normally good at avoiding clumping people into one category, but I used to actually groan when I saw a name that hinted facing something like that, on my day book. The male therapist on board would laugh.And there again... so much for the theory of "asking for it!"  :Gi

 

[insect.tech]

Well, I've watched this thread for some time and have debated whether or not to put my 2 cents worth in. I don't care what race someone is. I like to think that there is beauty in every body.  I mentioned in the thread about male MTs... Benny Vaughn, known in our field as an outstanding educator and sports massage therapist who happens to be black.  I honestly have to say that some of my "best massage memories" have been when I worked on black people.While still in MT school I had a black high school teacher who came to me with Fibromyalgia and I could tell she appreciated the work I did, and that it made a huge difference in her life.Don't we all have the desire to be appreciated?When I worked in the salon, we had a black church group come up 2 years in a row on Valentine's Day weekend from Chicago. It was a beautiful experience working on the couples in that group. I got the best compliment ever from one of the women in that group too... after her massage she hugged me and said, "I could feel the Love in your touch."   :'(Allume, may those you touch, respond the same.

 

[Fades to White]

Is your race a factor?

gutehands...you are just fine....and funny! I really appreciate your insights. maestra thank you for the blessing and the same to you. I am interested in the race issue but more in your personal feelings of who you would prefer not to massage. I know everyone will massage everyone but just your personal preferences of who you wont.....Thanks everyone!

 

[margaret m]

Is your race a factor?

There was a time when I was working on a very heavy person in clinic, which I was a little squeemish about. I know that everyone has the need to be touched in a positive way, and I was able to do a decent job with this person, regardless of my own issues. The challenge of discerning bony landmarks and muscle tension required some concentration, and handling them without too much jostling was tricky. But in the end, they were happy with the treatment, and so was I. It is my firm belief that acclimation to circumstances that might make me a little uncomfortable are the best way to overcome them. I would like to think that next time this person comes in, if I work on them, it will be just a little easier to settle in on the body work and avoid the distractions of physical appearance etc.

 

[Jazmine]

Is your race a factor?

My class is pretty diverse racially. Of course, there are far more females than males, but that is to be expected. We even have a visually impaired student.Except for maybe not prefering to work on a Republican, conservative, or someone with a Very Important Person complex, I would have to say there's not a 'body type' I wouldn't work on. Working on larger, heavier clients have proven to be more of a challenge, but they've also offered learning experience and made me approach the sessions from a fresh perspective.

 

[your motherrr ahahaha]

Is your race a factor?

...maybe not prefering to work on a Republican, conservative...

Awww, mannnnn!  Now I find out Gaspen may prefer not to work on me!

*sticks my red tongue out at ya*  *winks*

OK... I just thought of one other thing I honestly don't like.  I'll work and them and I'll do an excellent job, BUT, I don't like working on professional basketball players.  Too big/tall, too tight, too demanding, enough that I have worked on have had the VIP attitude, and on occasion did the dreaded try to strike it rich with "getting a little more" than I offer.  Usually THEY also don't allow for enough time to work them completely.  You really need at least an hour and 1/2 and preferrable 2 hours to work on someone this size and constitution.  

I hate to make a group like that, because I have met and worked on a few really nice ones, and it was a pleasure... but, not many.  *sighs*  But, alas, two of the items I already listed in my "don't wanna" thread earlier, show up here anyway... so it could be a lot of the reason why!

-=-=-

One other mention:

Many years ago, (let me preface this with I am caucasion and both of these were personal injury clinics, that I am going to mention)... I worked in a 99% black area of town, in a 40% black and 60% African clinic, run by a Nigerian man.  *grins*  I am sure you can see where this is leading to.

For those of you who may not know, or for those who this may be different for... in this particular case, our black clients didn't particularly have nice things to say about the Africans and vice versa.  And the two groups definitely felt there was a difference between each other.

So, they'd usually walk in a little frustrated anyway.  Then, they'd get "me" to be the person who would "see" them.  Almost always there was a wipe of the brow, a second look and an "Uh... You'll be seeing me?"

"Yes.  I am the one."

"Uhhhh.... ok."  

It was always interesting to see the reactions.

""""""""""""""

The exact same thing happened (with the looks and brow rubbing) when I worked in the strictly Vietnamese part of town, in a Vietnamese owned and operated clinic.  *chuckles*... and there I had to try to learn a little Vietnamese.  The best I ever learned simi-decently was a phrase for "Do you have pain?" which always came out as "Do you have peaches?" apparantly!  *chuckles*

You need info, so I am putting it on the table.  Hope it helps.

 

[carolinexdrofl]

Is your race a factor?

Good stuff, Texas Gal. And funny!

 

[Andrew M]

Is your race a factor?

in this particular case, our black clients didn't particularly have nice things to say about the africans and vice versa.  And the two groups definitely felt there was a difference between each other.

And West Africans often don't have nice things to say about East Africans and visa versa.  Ditto Chinese/Japanese/Malay/etc. When I lived in Singapore, Chinese educated Chinese didn't have nice things to say about English educated Chinese Singaporean and visa versa, all the Chinese looked down on the Malays, the Malays looked down on the Indians - people can attach tribal differences regardless of colour, Serbs/Croats/Jew/Estonians etc.