As a Chinese masseur, when you first arrived in the United States or started working, did you encounter any embarrassing situations due to language barriers or lack of understanding of American culture? During your work, have you ever felt like finding a hole to crawl into?

Hello everyone, I am Teacher Xu from Yibei Education. When you go to a new country, you need to quickly adapt to the new culture and avoid embarrassing things. First of all, you need to understand the taboos of this country and culture: what things you must not do and what words you must not say. In today’s video, I will talk to you about some workplace taboos in the American massage industry!

Whether you are a new masseur or an experienced veteran in the workplace, you can check to see: which taboos you already know and which taboos you don’t pay much attention to, which will help us get along better with customers during massage work.

Workplace taboos in the American massage industry

In today’s article, I will discuss six taboos with you. Come and see if you have fallen into any of them:

Taboo 1: Avoid overly intimate behavior

The first taboo we want to discuss is overly intimate behavior. Although massage work cannot avoid physical contact, professionalism and maintaining appropriate boundaries are the principles we must abide by during massage therapy.

Any form of borderline behavior, inappropriate contact or speech is absolutely prohibited. Although everyone may know this common sense, in actual work, we may accidentally touch some sensitive areas in order to make customers feel comfortable. So, how do we define it?

First of all, private parts, including breasts and genitals, are strictly prohibited from being touched during massage. In most cases, women’s breasts and all sexual organs are considered to be off-limits areas.

Additionally, while areas such as the face, scalp, wrists, ankles and buttocks are not necessarily off-limits, we do require the client’s consent before massaging these areas.

Finally, we need to pay special attention to the [neck] and [abdomen] areas, as these two areas are prone to injury. Remember: our goal is to help clients relax and recover, not to make them feel uncomfortable.

Have you ever encountered clients who are uncomfortable with close contact during massage therapy? Please share your experiences and suggestions in the comments!

Taboo 2: Avoid giving advice beyond your professional competence

The second taboo is one that many masseurs tend to overlook, which is: giving advice beyond their professional scope.

We all want to help our guests solve their problems, but we must be careful. We are massage therapists, not doctors, and we cannot make diagnoses or recommend medications. If you encounter a guest who seeks medical advice from you, don’t recommend treatments or medications out of enthusiasm! You can politely tell him that due to professional reasons, you cannot provide him with professional medical advice.

If you encounter such a guest, how would you deal with it? You can share with everyone in the comment section!

Taboo 3: Avoid touching sensitive topics

In the United States, there are some topics that are inappropriate to discuss with your guests, such as politics, religion, or personal life.

Sometimes we think we are just chatting and building a closer relationship with the guests, but the guests may feel that we are prying into their privacy. This is also a cultural difference between China and the United States.

In addition, it is very impolite to ask about someone’s income, family situation or love life. If you are not sure about this, you can choose to provide massage treatment to the guests quietly. Unless the guests bring it up, don’t chat with them too enthusiastically.

Have you ever encountered embarrassing situations in this regard? Feel free to share your stories with us in the comments section!

Taboo 4: Respect the customer’s choice

This is also a point that needs special attention. As Chinese masseurs, we usually have our own treatment opinions or preferences: we think that a certain massage therapy will be more effective, and a certain massage therapy may not be suitable.

But please note that we can only provide suggestions for guests. After the guests make a choice, we must fully respect their choice. Even if you think their choice is not so effective, you must never force the guests to accept the treatment you think is correct.

Taboo 5: Pay attention to personal hygiene and cleanliness

The hygiene level of modern people has been greatly improved, so many people may ignore this.

Pay attention to personal hygiene and cleanliness. It is not just about feeling clean. You should also check whether you have a strong body odor. Do not use strong perfumes. Do not eat strong-smelling foods before massage, such as garlic or leeks, because some customers are sensitive to smells.

Comfortable smell, temperature, light and music will give guests a pleasant impression, show our professionalism and increase guests’ return rate!

Taboo 6: Don’t bring personal emotions into work

This is true for all of us. Sometimes we act unprofessionally at work because of personal issues, such as stress, fatigue, or frustrations in life. This can manifest as mood swings, lack of energy, or overreacting to client requests.

However, as a professional masseur, we must separate personal emotions from work, not bring personal emotions into work, and demonstrate a professional attitude.

Remember, our goal is to provide our clients with a relaxing and enjoyable environment that helps them feel free from stress and pain.

Okay, that’s all we have to say about the six workplace taboos that Chinese masseurs must pay attention to!

Which of the above taboos have you committed at work? Or if you have handled them well, you might as well share your experience and story with everyone in the comment area to help more Chinese masseurs cope with cultural differences in the United States!

If you are still a Chinese massage therapist who has not obtained a massage license, or you need to renew your massage license or understand the laws and regulations in your state, you can directly add my WeChat ybmblex, or call me directly at (702) 892-7688 for consultation. We will answer any questions you have!