Louise Edwards Massage Therapy

Why I Call Myself a Massage Therapist, Not a Masseuse

It’s not about being offended. It’s about professional identity, education and what we do.

When people hear the word masseuse, they might simply think of someone who provides massage. There is nothing wrong with that.

However, there’s a reason many of us in the profession choose to use the term massage therapist instead.

💆‍♀️ Massage therapy is more than just massage.

As a sports and remedial massage therapist, my work involves understanding the body, how it moves and how different tissues respond to load and stress.

It involves knowledge of:

🔹 Anatomy and physiology
🔹 Muscles, tendons and other soft tissues
🔹 Musculoskeletal conditions
🔹 Injury management and rehabilitation
🔹 Movement and exercise
🔹 Different massage techniques and their applications

Every client is different, and treatment should be tailored to their individual needs, goals and circumstances.

The term massage therapist reflects the therapeutic nature of the work and the knowledge and training involved.

What about the word ‘masseuse’?

Historically, masseuse was used to describe a woman who performs massage.

Over time, particularly in English-speaking countries, the word has acquired additional associations with sexual services.

That’s why many professional massage practitioners choose not to use it.

This doesn’t mean everyone who uses the word intends anything inappropriate. Often, it’s simply a term they’ve always known.

It’s about understanding the language, not criticising the person using it.

So, if you call me a masseuse, I won’t be offended.

I’ll simply let you know that I prefer massage therapist, because that’s the professional title I identify with and the work I do.

💬 Have you ever wondered about the difference between the two terms?

3 signs your body might be asking for a sports massage 👇

💪 1. Your muscles feel tight even after you’ve warmed up
You move, stretch and train regularly, but certain areas still feel restricted or stubbornly tight.

🏃 2. Your performance feels a little off
Maybe your squat feels different, your stride isn’t quite right, or you’re compensating without really knowing why.

🔄 3. The same niggle keeps coming back
It settles down… then returns when you increase your training, spend too long at your desk, or simply get back to normal life.

Your body doesn’t always need you to stop.

Sometimes it needs the right support to move better, recover better and keep doing the things you enjoy.

Sports and remedial massage can be useful both when something is bothering you and before it becomes a bigger problem.

👇 Which one sounds familiar?

1, 2 or 3?

📍 Louise Edwards Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy

Move Better • Feel Better • Live Better

🙏🏼 Please call us Massage Therapists 🙏🏼

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

Your muscles might be ready. Your tendons might not.

Whether you’re a runner, a lifter, a cyclist, a footballer, a golfer or simply someone who loves being active, your body adapts to training at different rates.

Your muscle might say:

“I can do more.”

Your tendon might say:

“Not so fast.”

Muscles can increase their ability to produce force relatively quickly. Tendons and other connective tissues generally adapt more gradually.

That’s why suddenly increasing your mileage, adding more weight, training more frequently or ramping up your intensity can sometimes leave your tendons struggling to tolerate the workload, even when your muscles feel strong enough.

This is one reason sensible progression matters.

🏃 Increase running mileage gradually.
🏋️ Build your weights progressively.
⚽ Allow recovery between demanding sessions.
🚴 Don’t increase every training variable at once.

Where does massage fit in?

Regular sports and remedial massage can be a useful part of your overall training and recovery routine.

Massage doesn’t strengthen tendons or prevent every injury, but it can help manage muscle tension and feelings of stiffness, support comfortable movement and help you stay aware of areas that are becoming increasingly tight or overloaded.

Used alongside appropriate training, recovery, mobility and load management, regular massage can help you look after the muscles and soft tissues that are working hard for you.

Think of it as maintenance rather than a repair job.

Because being able to lift another 10kg, run another 5 miles or train another day doesn’t necessarily mean your whole body is ready for it.

Your muscles may be ready for more. Your connective tissues might need a little longer to catch up.

Train smart. Progress gradually. Look after the whole system.

Move Better • Feel Better • Live Better

How long have you been putting up with that ache or tightness?

Pain doesn’t always arrive suddenly. More often, it builds gradually until it starts affecting your training, your work, your sleep or simply how you move each day.

Sports and remedial massage isn’t just about feeling good for an hour. It’s about identifying the cause of muscular tension, restoring movement and helping your body recover properly.

Whether you’re recovering from an injury, training regularly, or struggling with persistent aches and pains, treatment is tailored to your individual needs.

✔ Sports Massage
✔ Deep Tissue Massage
✔ Injury Recovery
✔ Pain & Tension Relief
✔ Improved Mobility

📍 Nursling, Southampton (currently mobile)

Appointments are limited each week. Send me a message to book or ask any questions.

Your body is always adapting. The question is: adapting to what?

If you constantly avoid certain movements because you’re worried they’ll hurt your back, knees or shoulders, your body can become less conditioned to tolerate those movements over time.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore pain or push through every injury. Pain is information—not always a sign of damage—but it deserves to be understood.

For many people with ongoing aches and stiffness, the answer isn’t doing less forever.

It’s gradually doing more, in the right way.

✅ Building strength.
✅ Improving mobility.
✅ Restoring confidence.
✅ Teaching your body that it is capable.

As both a personal trainer and sports massage therapist, I see it every week. People arrive convinced they’re “too old”, “too broken”, or “have a bad back”.

A few months later they’re lifting weights they never imagined, moving without fear, and getting back to the things they love.

Your body is incredibly adaptable.

Treat it like it’s fragile, and it can become less resilient.

Challenge it appropriately, recover well, and you’ll often be surprised by what it’s capable of.

Don’t just protect your body. Train it.

👇 Have you ever avoided an exercise because you were worried it would make something worse?

A last-minute space has opened up this Tuesday 21st at 11:00am

If you’ve been meaning to book in, this is your sign. just drop me a message

How long have you been telling yourself it’ll sort itself out?

That tight shoulder.
The aching back.
The hip that always feels stiff.
The knee that never quite moves the way it used to.

Most people don’t book a massage because they don’t think it’s bad enough…

Until it starts affecting their training, work, sleep or everyday life.

What if waiting is actually making recovery take longer?

Here’s what some of my clients have said after treatment:

⭐️ “Hands down the best, most effective sports massage I have ever had. I now have a better range of motion in my left knee and feel more flexible and stronger.”

⭐️ “She released all the knots in my upper back and hip region. My body felt so much more supple and there was far less tension.”

⭐️ “I went from agony after hurting my back to no medication required and great mobility with her help.”

Every treatment starts by finding the cause of the problem, not just chasing where it hurts. The aim is to reduce pain, improve movement, speed up recovery and help keep the problem from coming straight back.

The hardest part is usually deciding to book.

📅 My diary is getting busy, so if you’ve been thinking about it, this is your sign to stop putting your body on hold.

Book your appointment today before the appointments you want have gone. Your body will thank you for it.

Results like this aren’t magic… they’re your body finally switching off.

Better sleep.
Less tension.
Nervous system calming down.

This is what happens when we stop just “treating tight muscles” and actually work with the body properly.

She did the work after too by keeping up with her dead bugs and glute bridges 👏

That’s how you get lasting results, not just a quick fix.

If you want to feel the difference, not just temporarily relieve it… you know where I am.

Please sponsor my lovely client Clare if you are able:

She will be taking on the TCS London Marathon to raise money for Breakthrough T1D, the type 1 diabetes charity.

‘My eldest Son, Aaron, was diagnosed with Type 1 when he was 15 months old. 17 years and many different challenges later, he's taking on Type 1 as an independent adult, so the least I can do is run 26.2 miles for him and all Type 1 Diabetics.’

https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/clare-lewis