Hello, I have a friend who is a male massage therapist who recently had a drop in clients because they started asking for preference by gender. I know this is pretty common but I was wondering why do women tend to feel more comfortable with another woman and is it ethical for a male therapist to only ask for female clients .

It seems to me that touching someone is a intimate experience for some where they can't separate it from the massage . I do acknowledge the insecurity a woman may feel when your body is exposed to a man . Andell flow is a black male therapist on youtube that massages particularly thick women . I think thicker women may come to him because a man may be able apply more pressure and they know when it comes to our community that thicker women are more so the epitome of the body type many of us prefer. I imagine it's a better experience knowing a man wants to touch you .

I then hear people say it's for religious reasons , some past trauma or believing men view it as a sexual act . I personally don't mind if a woman or man massages me but I know many other men who are bothered by a man . I've seen this discrimination by gender present in certain Muslim communities when it comes to the gym , swimming and so on . Is this an ethical practice ? And if so should we expand this as a precedent in terms of how comfortable someone is .

It seems to me that any immutable characteristic such as skin color , sex , orientation and so on can make someone more or less comfortable but then I can also acknowledge how a only women gym or swimming pool would create a feeling of a much safer environment for women . How do you feel about being discriminatory by sex, race etc and should it only be practiced in regards to how comfortable someone is by touching. I find it highly discriminatory against men