The confusion didn’t begin with today’s “happy ending” jokes. More than a century of newspaper coverage, business practices, and regulation helps explain why massage therapists are still defending their professional identity.
These selected moments tell part of that story.
1894 — A scandal exposes the problem
The British Medical Journal reports that some London businesses advertising massage are fronts for prostitution. The controversy helps spur the formation of the Society of Trained Masseuses, emphasizing training and professional standards.
1929 — New York seeks stronger oversight
New York City’s health commissioner calls for stricter massage licensing and supervision, seeking to restore massage’s standing as a legitimate aid to medical care.
1973 — A crackdown reaches legitimate practitioners
New York City adopts licensing requirements aimed at businesses selling sex under the name of massage. State-licensed massage practitioners sue to prevent the city law from being applied to them.
1975–1978 — Cities turn to zoning restrictions
New York uses land-use controls to target so-called massage parlors. These measures show how the name of a therapeutic practice became embedded in efforts to regulate adult businesses.
1979 — Massage practitioners speak out
At an American Massage and Therapy Association convention, practitioners describe the damage caused by businesses disguising sexual services as massage. Their objection: those businesses are using the profession’s name.
1987 — Professional language becomes part of the response
A New York Times article reports that practitioners increasingly prefer “massage therapist” over “masseuse,” seeking language that communicates healthcare and separates their work from prostitution.
1992 — The regulatory burden persists
Massage therapists in Bridgeport, Connecticut, object to an ordinance requiring police permits to practice therapeutic massage—another example of legitimate practitioners being drawn into policing measures.
2017 — Reports focus attention on trafficking
Polaris and the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards publish reports addressing human trafficking in illicit massage businesses, bringing renewed attention to exploitation and the misuse of massage’s name.
The question that remains
How can communities address illegal activity and exploitation while protecting legitimate massage practice? Understanding what has already been tried is a place to start. This has been going on for too long and our professional associations have failed the profession in protecting massage therapists and the use of the words massage therapy.
Explore the full history and source documents at Massage Therapy Nexus →
