IRMT - Isabel Robb Massage Therapy

As a Massage Therapist qualifying aged 22 in 2009, this was a big deal... sadly most people in the profession I know have had some level of experience with people assuming a 'Masseuse' offers the wrong sort of extras.
The simple change of title wording can bring better understanding and respect.

Masseur, masseuse or massage therapist: do the words matter?

‘Masseur’ and ‘masseuse’ were once accepted professional titles. Derived from French, ‘masseur’ referred to a man who provided massage and ‘masseuse’ to a woman. They were not originally derogatory and did not imply sexual services or poor training.

In Britain, the Society of Trained Masseuses was established in 1894 following the Victorian ‘massage scandals’. At a time when massage had become associated with prostitution, trained practitioners wanted to distinguish legitimate professional practice from disreputable activity.

The organisation later developed into what is now the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). Its history reminds us that ‘masseuse’ once carried genuine professional standing. However, language and its social meaning change.

During the twentieth century, ‘massage parlour’ became widely used as a euphemism for establishments associated with sexual services. Against this cultural background, ‘masseuse’, and ‘masseur’, acquired connotations that many modern massage therapists now find sexualised and professionally diminishing.

The problem became particularly visible during Covid. English regulations and UK Government announcements repeatedly classified legitimate massage services under ‘massage parlours’. Many qualified massage therapists felt this language failed to recognise their education, professional responsibilities and standards of practice.

The older terms also continue to appear in current journalism, including some BBC reporting. Their use is particularly unhelpful when the report itself concerns inappropriate or sexualised behaviour towards massage therapists. Referring to those professionals as ‘masseurs’ or ‘masseuses’ does nothing to clarify the professional identities, boundaries and standards at the centre of the story.

Not everyone who uses these words intends disrespect. Some people know them only in their original sense, while some practitioners and organisations continue to use them as traditional occupational titles.

The General Council for Manual Therapies nevertheless asks journalists, editors, employers, organisations and members of the public to use ‘massage therapist’.

It is clear, gender neutral and better reflects the education, skill, ethical responsibilities and professional standards expected within modern massage therapy.

A title cannot prove someone’s competence, and using an older term does not automatically indicate disrespect.

However, language influences how a profession is understood.

Words change. Professional recognition matters.

👉Please call us massage therapists.👈



The Sports Massage Association Scottish Manual Therapists Organisation LCSP Register of Remedial Masseurs & Manipulative Therapists Complementary Health Professionals Massage Training Institute - MTI

GOOD LUCK to all my clients heading for the Great North Run next weekend!!

Over the years, our Step & Stone studio space has housed yoga, pilates, baby classes and women’s wellness workshops.

It's a "blank canvas" space, so If you run something similar or are wanting to start something similar and you are looking for a space - we’d love to hear from you!

You’re also welcome to come in and see it for yourself; just send us a PM or email us on [email protected]

Funny Faces!
If you come for a treatment with me, the chances are I will be getting you to pick one of these wee balls to take home... great for rolling your feet on or squeezing in your hand, niceand easy with a little resistance :-)

CLINIC DAYS
A few of the clients I have been treating this week...
- a knee surgery rehab
- an older lady with sciatica
- a retired gentleman enjoying his golf
- a desk worker who is getting into tennis this season
- a lady mid pregnancy with tight shoulders
- a lady who travels for work often...
Sports Massage is

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Step and Stone Health!!
4 years ago Amy Bisset created and opened this awesome space, in which many health and wellbeing professionals come to practice every day... We may be biased, but the care you receive here is second to none, no matter which therapy you are coming in for!
Here's to many more years of this gem of a place going from strength to strength :-)

A bit of background...

I started my massage training back in 2009, with the (SMTO affiliated). I went straight through two diplomas, Swedish Massage and Remedial & Sports, graduating in December 2010.
Since then I have worked in 7 clinics at various ends of the country, landing in Aberdeen in 2016, and becoming part of Step and Stone Health in 2023.
I have continued to study every year, completing courses in Pregnancy Massage, Hot Stones, Oncology Massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and Radial Shockwave Therapy (I'll post more about each therapy individually later on). To maintain my insurance and affiliations, I also keep my Emergency First Aid updated every 3 years, most recently with SMG Safety in Inverurie.

I love what I do, seeing people improve physically - whether this is part of assisting with rehab of a recent injury, helping ease the pain of managing a chronic condition, or working a maintenance pattern to reset muscles from a repetitive strain or posture required by the client's work or life activities.

I am also privileged to have been taught by and worked alongside many talented professionals from multiple disciplines along the way, and look forward to introducing you to some of them on my clinic days...

CLINIC DAYS!!
Always good to be in Step and Stone Health in Westhill...
As well as an awesome team practising multiple disciplines including
- Podiatry
- Physiotherapy
- Massage (many types)
- Relaxation therapies
- Audiology
- Counselling
- Yoga
It brings a huge variety of people with different issues in.
This week some of my clients include:
A retired farmer, a patient going through rehab from a knee replacement, a domestic cleaner, a policeman, two amateur marathon runners, and a few office workers in for monthly maintenance of backs, necks, shoulders and hips...
Sports/Remedial Massage is not just for sports - though it helps there too!!
Any of these sound like you?

Hi All, great to be chatting to you on here :-)

Incoming are a series of posts, covering who I am and what Massage Therapy can do for you.
I'll be looking at lots of the little bits and pieces that can make a huge difference when used at different times of your day: mobilising, stretching and self care to name a few.
I will also cover supporting your sleeping position to help keep comfortable, and tools like foam rollers and their uses over the next few weeks.
Sound helpful? 😀
As always, you can find me in clinic Step and Stone Health on Thursdays and Fridays, or mobile to your home by contacting me through this page.