Men's Massage vs Women's Massage

We sat down with Kate, a former mobile masseuse in London with 4+ years of experience, to discuss whether massaging men is significantly different from massaging women. Discover her fascinating insights here.

Do Men Ever Get Massages?

Men definitely get massages, and it's just as popular among them as it is with women, particularly in diverse and modern cities like London, where mobile therapy is widely available.

If you're someone who hasn't experienced full body massage therapy for men before, read on to discover why you absolutely should or jump right in and enter your postcode below to see which male massage specialist therapists we have available for you right now:

Key Techniques That Set Mens Massage Apart

The techniques used for massaging men is different from women in several ways, as a result of physiological and psychological differences between the two.

Physical attributes

Generally speaking, men tend to have larger, more hairy, bodies and stronger muscles. These key differences require specific techniques if muscle tension and knots are to be treated effectively. Men also tend to carry stress in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.

Men's massages often require more intense techniques to effectively release deep muscle tension and knots. Applying such vigorous techniques can help men achieve optimal relaxation and maximise therapeutic benefits sooner. The scalp, neck and shoulder areas are the most commonly requested target zones for male treatments.

Therapists also often have to apply much more oil! This is so that male skin is effectively lubricated - it is often more hairy and dry than female skin and if not pre-treated can cause friction or hindrance to the flow of therapy.

Male Massage - Most Popular Treatment Styles

Try one of our specifically tailored treatments for men. Each of them has been based on the most requested male massages in London:

XXL Deep Tissue

XXL Deep Tissue is a powerful and targeted massage service designed specifically for men who want a deep and intense massage experience.

This massage uses firm pressure and slow strokes to reach deep layers of muscle tissue and release chronic tension, knots, and adhesions.

Our skilled massage therapists will personalise your treatment to meet your personal preferences and focus on specific areas of tension, such as your neck, back, shoulders, and legs. Get ready to feel rejuvenated, relaxed, and refreshed after this invigorating massage session. Book your XXL Deep Tissue massage today to enjoy the deepest tissue tension therapy in London.

Masculine Sports Massage

Introducing Masculine Sports Massage, a dynamic treatment designed to meet the needs of active and sporty men!

Our mobile therapists apply traditional sports massage movements including stretching, adjusted to incorporate relief for the types of strains and sprains typically encountered in male oriented sports. This treatment can help improve flexibility, reduce muscle soreness and prevent future sports injuries.

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a weekend warrior, this treatment will help you perform at your best. Book now and experience the benefits of Masculine Sports Massage for yourself.

Head Massage For Men

Revitalise your mind and body with our Head Massage designed with men in mind! Our experienced therapists will help you release stress and tension using a combination of scalp massage and dedicated acupressure techniques.

By stimulating blood flow and pressure points, we can help reduce headaches, improve sleep quality, boost mental clarity and even help speed up recovery from hangovers and jet lag.

You'll feel rejuvenated and refreshed after this luxurious treatment. Don't wait to pamper yourself - book your Head Massage for Men today and discover why other London males love it!

Psychological differences 

Beyond its physical aspects, our treatments for men can also provide much needed mental and emotional relief.

Men may be more hesitant to communicate their preferences and boundaries during a session. This can make it challenging for a therapist to tailor the treatment to their specific needs. However more experienced therapists are usually well accustomed to massaging men and understand how best to approach such situations.

It's very important to communicate whether the pressure is comfortable. Men may prefer a stronger massage, but they may not speak up if it's too deep or painful. To address this, the therapist can start with soft pressure and gradually increase it, asking the client to say "now" when it reaches a good level. This approach is easier than telling a female therapist she's too strong and can help men feel more comfortable during the massage.

The Top 3 Differences Between Massage Therapy for Men vs Women

Rough skin

Female clients tend to have softer skin, making it easier for the oil to lubricate and create a smoother experience. In contrast, male clients may have rougher skin on their hands and feet, as they may not receive regular manicures and pedicures. Using high-quality almond oil and massage creams can help male clients benefit from both relaxation and potentially softer skin.

Different focus areas

A full body therapeutic massage is widely known for its potential to relieve tension, reduce pain, and promote relaxation and unsurprisingly is appreciated by all genders. 

It is worth noting however, that male and female clients can have stark differences in their preferences when it comes to the specific areas of their body.

Men seem to enjoy having their back, neck, shoulders and glutes massaged, in addition to the traditional back area. And often want to exclude their head, face and feet (contrary to women who seem to enjoy getting treated in these areas). The glutes, or buttocks muscles, appear to be a common source of tension and discomfort for men, and a massage that targets this area can bring relief from long days sitting at the desk or sprains from being playing intensive sports.

The chest area is another part of the body that requires a different approach for men and women. When massaging the chest of male clients, it is important to avoid any pressure that could cause discomfort or trigger pain but it is generally acceptable to treat the whole chest of a man. In contrast, women would only receive massage in the upper part of the chest, delivered with a lighter touch to promote general relaxation and stress relief.

Deeper Pressure

Men often request the deepest pressure during treatments. While some therapists find this challenge exciting, as it allows them to utilise specialist techniques, such as elbows and knuckle pressure or even Ashiatsu massage, others may find it exhausting after putting in all that hard work.

Kate: An Expert in Men's Massage Therapy

I qualified as a therapist by taking the ITEC and BTEC courses. At the time, I was working as a waitress at Automat, the American themed brassiere in Mayfair, London and use the income from this to pay for my course. Working late evening shifts whilst also studying for courses was pretty intensive and doing both together basically took over my life for a year.

Starting Out As A Therapist In London

After qualifying I joined an agency which sent therapists to London casinos to do head, neck and shoulder massages for customers at the gambling tables. It was great fun but incredibly tiring, both physically and mentally.

We would walk up to people who were gambling and offer a 15 minutes neck shoulder massage. As you can imagine, one of the perks of the job was that if customer was enjoying some good luck at the casino that evening, they would happily hand out a great tip at the end of the treatment. But more often than not, the casino clients had been suffering losing streaks. In these cases, I would be dealing with someone who was feeling quite stressed, wanted an extra deep shoulder massage and would be frowning the whole way through … and if their luck had not changed during the 15 minutes I was with them, then I could expect a zero tip at the end.

Almost all the customers in the casino were men. I did enjoy the high-energy atmosphere but the hours we were asked to work were really difficult. Casinos get busiest late at night so we were required to work evenings and up until as late as 3am. That was one part of the job I did not look forward to. Doing a deep tissue shoulder massage is hard work at any time of the day, let alone at 3am.

Becoming A Mobile Therapist

After a year with the casino agency, I felt it was time to move on. I still wanted to work in massage therapy for men and women but needed a job which was a bit more stable and had more reasonable working hours.

I searched around for other jobs and attended various interviews for spas and therapy centres based around London. I even considered a job working as a masseuse on a cruise liner sailing around the world, but when I looked into the details I realised it sounded a lot more exotic than it would have been in reality.

I finally settled on working with The Massage Rooms as a freelance therapist. This was way back in 2010. They had only recently opened the previous year and I liked the buzz and excitement of the owner’s passion for massage as well as the opportunity to work with a company that called itself the “fresh new face of massage in London!”. I also like the bright orange website, it was just a change from everything I had seen but still in my area of interest. So I applied, attended an interview and was accepted and signed up!

Visiting Men versus Women

I had never visited anyone in his or her own home or hotel room to do a massage. To be honest, at the beginning I felt a little nervous about visiting anyone (male or female) at their own place but I put it down to one of those ‘new job’ issues that would hopefully fade away within a few months of starting and so I just dived in.

I need not have worried! The customers were really lovely and kind. They seemed to realise that it felt a bit strange for me to visit someone in their own house and I think most of them made an extra effort to make me feel comfortable and welcome.

Flirting

Ten years ago mobile therapy was not as common or accepted as it is today. Back then, if I would mention to a friend that I was working as a mobile masseuse, I could usually sense the ‘elephant in the room’ moment. Not only was I working as a masseuse, but I was one that was visiting men in their homes, they would think!

As with many things in life, if you look at it from the wrong perspective, you can easily end up with a skewed view of reality. I have always considered myself a professional health and wellness therapist. So whether I perform treatment for men or women in a spa environment or in the comfort of their own homes, it was all the same for me. I was visiting people to make them feel healthier through wellness therapies.

This however of course didn’t stop some people unfortunately getting the wrong idea! In my four years as a mobile therapist I got asked on plenty of dates, which were of course very flattering but always politely declined. And even though one of those polite invitations was indeed from another woman, the large majority by far were from men. So my final difference between the two sexes when it comes to massaging people is that men were more inclined to flirt a little with me! 

Kate is now in charge of looking after new therapists and also helps with customer relations.