Of Sex, Massage, Jack Layton, and Scandal

A funny story popped up in the closing hours of the 2011 federal election.  A story of how Jack Layton was caught in a “rub and tug” massage parlour during a police raid.  Jack Layton swears that he did no wrong doing.  He was there to get a treatment by his “massage therapist” and was unaware of any illicit activity that was going on there.  The story is troubling on many fronts, but I am most offended that he kept referring to his masseuse as a “massage therapist”

There is a bit of confusion in the general public about massage therapy.  People still can’t get past the idea that massage therapy has absolutely nothing to do with sex.  And perhaps Jack Layton’s example is one of the biggest reasons why.  Jack Layton insists that he was seeing a “massage therapist”.  The truth is that the only people in Ontario that are allowed to call themselves “massage therapists” are Registered Massage Therapists that are licensed.  This goes with the same legislation that will only allow people to call themselves physiotherapists if they are in fact licensed physiotherapists.  There is no doubt in my mind that this person was not a massage therapist, but  a sex worker.

The Globe and Mail article, “Massaging the truth about Jack Layton” by Christie Blatchford reports the following:

Mr. Layton has acknowledged that when the cops, looking for underage Asian hookers, returned to the Velvet Touch parlour in the city’s downtown Chinatown on Jan. 9, 1996 – their first visit was two weeks earlier and then they apparently charged a man with keeping a common bawdy house – he was indeed there.

The NDP leader said he simply went for a massage and had no idea the place was suspect; Ms. Chow noted that her husband exercises regularly, was and is in great shape and just needed a massage, and Mr. Iler said in a written statement that Mr. Layton “had no knowledge whatsoever that the therapist’s location may have been used for illicit purposes.”A rather richer picture was provided by the officer’s reproduced notes and an interview with the Sun: Mr. Layton, ostensibly there for a shiatsu massage (which traditionally doesn’t require the removal of any clothing, let alone all of it) was lying naked on a bed; the female “therapist” dumped wet Kleenex into a garbage can upon the arrival of the police, and when Mr. Layton was asked if he’d received a sexual service and replied that he was there for shiatsu and one of the officers asked why, then, he had all his clothes off, he had no reply.

First of all, a massage therapist will never ever let you be completely naked during a treatment.  It is against our standards of practice and code of ethics.  We would lose our license in a second if we ever did that.  You must be draped or covered during the treatment.  I repeat, YOU CANNOT BE NAKED IN A MASSAGE TREATMENT.  During treatments, the back will be uncovered if the back is being massaged, but then it will be recovered when the work on the back is complete.  As we move onto one leg, it will be uncovered while the other leg is covered, and so on.  At no point will your entire body be naked in a treatment.

Secondly, contrary to popular belief it is in fact against our standards of practice to touch the genital area, the gluteal cleft or the breasts.  There is no confusion or leniancy  in this.  Sexual touching is strictly forbidden.  Again, any behaviour of this sort will result with a loss of license for the RMT.

Any establishment that engages in the sale of sex should not be confused with a massage therapy clinic.  Any person that sells sexual services should never be referred to as a massage therapist or registered massage therapist.  These two worlds are vastly different.

Massage Therapy vs. Massage Parlour

How can you tell if you are dealing with a legitimate massage therapist?  Here are some tips to clarify if you are in fact dealing with a licensed professional rather than someone in the world’s oldest professions:

• Ask for their license.  All RMT’s are required to carry or display proof of their registration with the College of Massage Therapists (CMTO)
• Look them up on the CMTO website.  There is a listing of all RMTs registered with the College on the CMTO website.
• Look for physical clues:  A professional clinic should be clean and well lit.  The massage therapist should be dressed professionally and modestly, possibly in hospital scrubs
• Avoid suspicious looking places. A professional RMT clinic will not have the following:
  • neon signs saying “Massage”
  • dimly lit offices
  • personnel dressed in provocative clothing
• Avoid suspicious behaviour.  An RMT will never do the following:
  • asking you to completely undress for no therapeutic reason
  • asking you to undress while they are in the room
  • inappropriate touching
  • refusal to provide proof of registration (i.d. card or wall certificate)
  • refusal to provide a receipt with registration information for insurance purposes
  • offering to provide a receipt at a later date

If you do encounter a person that refers to themselves as a massage therapist but whose credentials you doubt, please contact the CMTO to notify them so that they may investigate.