I recently got my very first massage.
It was nice. I think. I didn't like the part where she was literally punching me for several minutes but other than that, it was relaxing. I have to admit, one thing I thought to myself was that I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if a male were giving me that massage. I think I would have felt uncomfortable.
I feel the same way when I go to the doctor. I've had some great male ob/gyns, but everything else being equal, I'd definitely choose the female. (Everything else is not always equal though... I would have taken any male doc in the practice over the woman who delivered my youngest.) I know a lot of women feel the same way.
Actually, in probably any situation where there a lot of touching involved (massage, physical therapy, physical exam), I'd prefer a female over a male. And I find it pretty hard to believe that most women don't feel the same way.
I actually prefer a male massage therapist over a woman. It always feels like they never apply enough pressure & they are just rubbing me down. With males, I always get enough pressure to work out the kinks, yet still feel relaxed. Fortunately, I've had some really nice male therapist.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, I've always had terrible experiences getting pelvic exams from men. I've had doctors who were very rude and aggressive. So anything below the belt has to be examined by a female.
Never had a massage from a male, so I couldn't say for sure. As for gyn - I'm with you. I'm much more comfortable with a female doc.
ReplyDeletehahaha I'm a guy, and I just took the medical specialty quiz, and I got OB/GYN!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a woman and I genuinely don't care. I've had male and female pediatricians as a kid as well as PCPs and OB/Gyns as an adult. Right now my PCP is male and my OB is female. I like them both. I chose both based on which doc in the practice had the first available appointment.
ReplyDeleteSophia
I did get a massage from a male one time, and even though I was really nervous about it (I have been sexually assaulted and am NOT okay with unknown or even known men touching me. I realized too late that I should have requested a woman.) It was actually okay and I felt at ease.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I would never accept a male ob/gyn or even pcp and if I ever get a chance to get a massage again I will remember to request that it's a woman doing it.
Hummmmm I'm a female and definately prefer a male over a female for just about anything. (No offense, Dr. Fizzy!)
ReplyDeletePhysician, Shrink, Attorney...ect......who knows why? A "Mom Thing"....? Lol! Go figure!
I have a slight preference for a female for a massage.
ReplyDeleteFor OB/ GYN, I actually prefer a male. This is my own hang up, but I always feel women judge me for whichever choices I make, say that X cannot possibly hurt because it didn't hurt them etc.
I could never ever ever get a massage from a male. I can't say I would rather die than have a male OB/GYN, but the preference is pretty high. So much so that I took on the cost of more insurance with a crazy premium and not worth it deductible to continue seeing my female ob/gyn. Not saying I'm sane, but it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to my comment???????????????????????????????????????
ReplyDeleteIt somehow had been automatically filtered as spam..
DeleteOh...i'm sorry...it came back. Sorry Dr. Fizzy.
DeleteI agreed at one point. Then a few years ago I was desperate to get a massage not long after being in a sling 24/7 for a month after a rotator cuff repair and feeling like I was permanently tied into a million knots. I took whoever I could get. That meant Ray. He worked wonders, including working on my shoulder itself. I thought he was going to kill me with his bony little elbows but, after the fact, I felt marvelous and my shoulder range of motion skyrocketed! Now I tend to prefer men, too--they do tend to have stronger hands.
ReplyDeleteFor a masseuse....anyone who can do a good job, the more pressure the better. For an OB/Gyn....have had both genders, preferred the male but the n isn't large enough to make any broad generalizations. (And what am I, sexist?) The females have judge me more, though, for my choices, will admit.
ReplyDelete~Jasmine
In the magazine Psychology Today they had an article that said that people are more stressed if they think a man is massaging them than if they believe a woman is doing it. The showed men a picture of the person who would be doing the massage and, although it was always a woman actually touching them, those who were shown a picture of a man were less comfortable.
ReplyDeleteFascinating!!
http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201303/the-power-touch/touch-louder-words?page=3