It’s been tough waiting for the election results this past week. In fact, almost the whole year has been stressful. A lot of people are looking for relief. Massage is one way to de-stress.
Massage is kind of a trust exercise. You take off your clothes in front of someone you don’t know. You let them touch you. You let them hurt you—a little—in hopes of feeling better later.
Massage therapists are people. There are a lot of good ones. There are some bad ones. Within that group of bad ones, there are massage therapists who cross the line for their own sexual gratification.
Our four-year-old is fond of singing:
No-no, don’t touch me there
This is my no-no square
We’ve handled a number of cases against massage therapists and other providers (e.g., chiropractors, physical therapists, etc.) who have touched the no-no square.
It’s not like being groped by someone on the street. It’s semi-surreal because there’s that element of trust and there’s only a couple of inches separating appropriate from inappropriate touch.
I’m fond of saying: When there’s doubt there is no doubt. If you think the touch was accidental, it probably was. If you’re not sure whether it was accidental, it probably wasn’t.
What impact does it have on the claim if you didn’t say anything/object during the massage? None. Absent something graphically inappropriate like full penetration, the victim is always going to be in that uncertain place somewhere between trying to process what happened and just wanting the experience to be over.
If you’ve been inappropriately touched during massage (or other bodywork) you need to make a claim. It’s important for you psychologically. And probably more important, it’s essential to keep the same thing from happening to someone else.