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 MassageFirst, a word on terminology. A masseuse is a female who performs massage. A masseur is a male who performs massage. Don't call yourself a masseuse in your advertising! A great way to diversify your business and generate more income is to offer massage as well. This can bring in a different clientele and can also get existing clients to spend more as they take advantage of both your escorting and your massage. Because many massage clients won't consider looking at an escorts advertising you may want to consider having a second web site that focuses on your services as a masseur. One or two massages will be enough to pay for an entire years costs of having the web site. It is important to check on local regulations before advertising massage, however, as many places have strict and heavily enforced laws about massage demanding that only trained and certified persons offer massage. In many locations (though not all--check!) there are ways to get around the requirements. For example, in Florida only registered masseurs can advertise massage services, but anyone can advertise to do 'body work' or 'bodysage', etc. In British Columbia only registered masseurs can offer 'massage therapy' but anyone can advertise 'massage service' etc. Getting the wording right isn't the only issue: some locations are very strong on enforcing business licensing bylaws. You may be certified to practice in the province/state, but do you have a business license for the jurisdiction in which you intend to work? Consider going to massage school and becoming a registered masseur. In many locations classes are designed to fit the schedules of those who have full time jobs and can be completed in as little as nine months, so it isn't difficult to do. If living in the United States make sure the school you attend is recognized by the national body so that you can write the national exam when you are done. This does not automatically give you license to work in all states but it makes it very easy for you to get a license in any of 32 different states. US schools that are not recognized by the national body can only make it possible for you to work in the state they operate in. Massage can be very enjoyable and relaxing and although the per-hour income is lower than for escorting the exertion by you is less draining so you are able to accept more bookings. Also the demand for massage is a significantly higher volume than for escorting so you can tap a larger pool of clients. Some basic knowledge that can help you with massage: • ensure that the room where the massage is performed is warmer than normal. Your client will be lying still for a long time which will slow their circulation so they will be very susceptible to getting chilled. • soft lighting is a plus in setting the mood. Think candles. But dammit, never use taper candles (the tall, skinny ones). Burning them for a long period unattended can be a nightmare at best, and dangerous at worst. They burn quickly and if the wax melts down to fast you'll suddenly have a long wick sending off a lot of smoke. Or they may melt enough to tip out of their base and start a fire. Use big, fat squat candles and always keep them on an oversize base with a large lip so they can hold lots of melted wax--just in case! • soft music helps set the mood. Think classical or new age music that is smooth, even, and doesn't have a bass sound or lyrics. Set your CD player on 'repeat' so that it won't quit mid-massage. • scenting your space can also be an asset. If doing so it is mandatory that it is a soft, light scent: one that is not overtly noticeable. And definitely not an artificial scent such as common spray air fresheners. Think aromatherapy burner. A few drops of a light essential oil in a burner works well. Both tea-light powered and electric burners are available. • using oil for massage is very inexpensive but it is also messy and very bad for the client, although many clients are so used to it they don't even understand or recognize the hazards. No matter what type of oil you use, all oils are sealants and clog pores. This has the dual effect of inhibiting the skin from expelling waste or from taking in oxygen. Although the majority of oxygen is gained from the lungs, internal organs get a noticeable percentage of their oxygen from the skin. Oil massage decreases the oxygen levels at internal organs which in mild cases causes a 'woozy' feeling and pimples. In more severe cases it can cause upset stomach, headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting (rare), and fainting (rare). • lotion for massage is what top professionals use. Lotion has the best viscosity, professional lotions are hypoallergenic, and they don't have the negative health effects of oils. Over-the-counter ordinary hand lotions won't have as good of viscosity and likely won't by hypoallergenic but are easier to obtain and cheaper than the professional lotions. The downside is that any lotion does cost quite a bit more than oil. Hhere are some places to get listed to advertise your massage services specifically to the gay market. Some are free, some are paid resources: • All Male Massage New in spring, 2005. Contains only US and Canada (and ONE overseas as of 2008!). Unfortunately is just one long list, alphabetical by state, so not the most user-friendly. But at least the state-by-state organization keeps it workable. • Bodywork For Men This site has evolved since it first appeared in 2001 when it had both escort and masseur listings to today where it lists strictly masseurs. It has a wide variety of categories for different types of bodyworkers and although all organized, it can be a bit overwhelming until you get used to its style. Fairly simple and straight-forward. • Find A Masseur Started in spring, 2004 this site is sharp and classy. A slight annoyance is its focus on a handful of US cities, though it does include worldwide listings. • Gay Massage Now New as of early 2006. Layout design has evolved over time. Is awkward in the US listings as it requires you to know your geography. Temporarily allowed free sign-up to get listings but now charges monthly fee. Design has improved over time, though they still have a good ways to go to make it both truly user-friendly and give a unified appeal. Right now they appear to either be trying to "be everything to everyone" or cover as many different business markets as they can, and it detracts from the image. Especially distracting to non-escort masseurs is the strong escort connection this site has. • Manssage NEW as of summer 2007. Initial look is a good start, though has huge drawback that it offers US search only, and you damn well better know how to correctly spell the name of the city you desire. The search function works very well as designed, but the design is NOT user friendly. Masseurs must pay to be listed. • Massage 4 Men Only New in spring 2009 at which time it is offering free 4-month listings in order to get masseurs signed up. However the Terms of Service have serious ramifications for you. By posting your photos on their site you agree that they are NOT copyrighted (but the site prohibits anyone else from copying content). In short, this means you are giving the site full option to do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g they want with your photos. There are a lot of other problems with their terms of service, including many sentences that aren't even grammatically correct! Beware of the issues that can affect you in these terms though--they are severe. Also, they claim they let clients see when masseurs are available. I don't know any masseur who is equipped (or willing!) to interact with a masseur listing site like that. These are the negatives, and they are HUGE. On the upside, the site does have a clean, easy-to-read layout (though the color scheme requires a Valium!) and good search function. They've got some major clean-up to do in their policies and claims and then this has potential to be a good listing site. In the meantime we must note that the current terms of this site make it NOT recommended. • Massage M4M Introduced in the spring of 2002, this very classy looking site does have a few minor flaws in design, but overall a great resource and driving to be well recognized. Unfortuantely they require ever-increasing monthly fees. By 2006 there was heavy negative talk about this among some masseurs. Other masseurs appear accepting as they do have a good number listed, though we believe their count advertised to be inaccurate as it appears they count a masseur as two people if he is listed in two cities! • Massage Network Not gay, not even gay-style listings. A general listing of masseurs. Focus is on the US, but if you look down low on the list there's space for others. Unfortunately just listed (by country) in one l-o-n-g list. VERY disappointing to use for non-US masseurs. • MasseurFinder New as of December 2004. Was initially easy to get listed and easy to search. Unfortunately somebody decided to go a new direction and it's now very awkward on both counts, and in testing rather slow. Offers space for clients to review masseurs. Not sure if it offers a facility for masseurs to comment on reviews (if it was a negative review, that could be important!). Initially it offered free trials to get masseurs on board. Rates are quite stiff to get listed, and obnoxiously it heavily promotes itself as "the best", (Who is the authority that made this determination?). Limited geographic coverage with emphasis HEAVILY on the US. WARNING: in their terms they grant themselves "perpetual, irrevocable" rights to every word and image you submit to them. In short: you post it on their site and they own it FOREVER, including the right to sell it! Cavet emptor. • Men Bodyworkers New as of spring 2004 but quickly showing great strength. Easy to sign up as a masseur. Moderately easy for clients to search. Clean, no-nonsense design making it fast and easy to use. Charges for listings. • The Gay Male Body Also listed in the escort listings, this site has separate sections for masseurs to get listed. Not a great listing--all masseurs are just listed together in order of 'rating' by default, though other orders can be chosen, so it's work to find masseurs with it being strictly a list. • Masseur.net The grand-daddy of gay massage lists, it is probably still the best known. Used to also have an associated web ring which helped increase its fame. Very simple and straight-forward, it's been relied on for years and is well known around the world. Unfortunately it recently appears to be lacking in updates to keep its listings current. |
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