Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) and the massage therapy profession have again been reminded by news events that continuing work needs to be done to educate the public and media about the legitimacy of the tens of thousands of licensed and qualified massage therapists practicing in the United States. The prominence of one individual named in the most recent story means the coverage could go on for some time.

No one doubts the massage profession has made tremendous strides over several decades in re-casting the image of massage therapists in the favorable and respectful light they deserve. It’s disturbing that some news commentators haven’t reached an enlightened perspective on the work that massage therapists do, and instead are using imprecise terminology and innuendo that fuels false perceptions.

There are still people trading on the good name of massage therapy to provide cover for illegal activities. As long as the term “massage therapy” is misappropriated by these operators, we will continue to correct the record and educate consumers and the media.

While we at ABMP are contacting media outlets nationwide to express our concerns, we believe another approach might also be effective. Just as legislators pay more attention to individually written letters than they do form letters, we suggest massage therapists disturbed by this coverage post or send their complaints to the offending news websites. This is truly a case where the strength in numbers of 72,000 ABMP massage therapists is more powerful than a single institutional voice.