Getting a massage is one of the best ways to relax and alleviate tired, tight muscles. Most Florida massage therapists spend about an hour in each session, with their hands sometimes coming near your intimate parts. If you have felt uneasy during a massage, here’s how to know that it may have involved sexual abuse.
Maintain sexual ethics during a session
Massage therapists receive training about correctly using their hands on patients’ bodies. Most maintain highly ethical practices to avoid sexual assault by massage therapists. Ethical therapists will never force a patient to disrobe completely. If a drape is used, it must cover specific body parts, such as the breasts for women and the genital area for both sexes. Removing a drape covering the buttocks requires permission from the patient, as does touching the area for therapies.
Patients should be aware of how their hands are placed by the therapist, especially when lying on their backs, so that the therapist’s genitals do not brush or all into the palms. Some therapies may require massage near sensitive areas near the breast or in the lower abdomen. Make sure your therapist has experience in these techniques and uses proper touch when massaging.
Patients are vulnerable during massages
Even if you have previously received a massage from a particular therapist, sexual abuse may occur during subsequent sessions because that individual has gained your trust. Many victims “freeze” during a session or think that they have imagined the abuse. They feel confused or ashamed, sometimes believing they caused an accidental touch.
Abuse during massage sessions is particularly traumatic because of the position of authority that the therapist maintains. If you have sustained abuse from a massage therapist, you may be able to file a claim for mental pain and anguish against the perpetrator and its employer.