Massage therapists unhappy with massage parlours' use of the term

Professional providers of massage therapy are unhappy with how businesses in the sex trade use the term "massage parlour".

"It's very demeaning," Lori Green, executive director of the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan, told CBC's iTeam. "It's very demeaning to them and to the profession."

Green said her association is concerned because when the sex trade uses the term "massage" it can cause confusion in the public.

Green noted even her association has taken phone calls from the public, seeking sexual services.

"Somebody looking for adult services. It's not unusual," Green said.

She has also heard of instances where a person who was looking for a health-care provider, entered a massage parlour that offered a very different service.

"Going in and having a fairly significant surprise at the atmosphere," Green recalled.

She said her members are very frustrated with the unwanted association.

"Flashy neon signs is not really the image that a professional massage therapist is going to want to have," she said.

The MTAS has been urging Saskatchewan to accept their work as a registered profession.

"Once a regulation or legislation would come into this province, we would have then have regulation behind us in order to shut down that sort of establishment under the name of massage," Green said.

She said the association has been asking the province for regulation for 15 years. The province says it's looking at the request.