Brothels disguised as massage businesses, also known as BDAMBs are a serious threat to licensed massage therapists, the public, and the future of our industry. This sensitive subject hurts my heart every time I think about it, but when evil stands before us we must stand and fight for what we believe is right. We can defeat this threat, unwind the knots of its hurt, and foster a future that is golden, pure, and ethical from surface to center.
How do BDAMBs hurt the massage therapists, the public and our industry?
They reduce the perceived value of legitimate massage services, reinforce negative stereotypes held by the public in relation to sex services and massage, and harbor dens of despair for those have been enslaved into sex trafficking. When BDAMBs are shut down, they increase the likelihood licensed massage therapists will be solicited or assaulted. When we look at the problem with an eagle eye view it reveals a much larger problem. As more BDAMBs pop up around the country our legislators will confuse them with licensed massage facilities. Stronger legislation will be levied against the professionals following the rules and who already provide safe, ethical, and effective treatments to the public.
How do we address these issues?
It is such a huge issue, approaching it seems impossible, daunting, and overwhelming. The very thought of this threat is heart breaking. The problem is so vast and overreaching the challenge can stop us before we even begin. Rather than approaching it with a full-on attack, we must cut it into slices and resolve it compartmentally.
We need to stop isolating ourselves into our micro compartments with our head in the sand. The problem can be addressed on a micro level individually and in small groups, but if we continue to remain oblivious our hopes and dreams will mysteriously fade away before our eyes.
Change starts with the individual
We must elevate the ability of each massage therapist. This is achieved through community, culture, and the formation of unofficial and official coalitions who support and enrich each other’s lives. Often, we run through the world like lone wolves. A pack of wolves can defeat even the largest predators when they are fighting together. We must join forces, build support groups, and invest in each other’s success.
Our perceived skill is the sum of our industry’s collective quality. When the public experiences a lackluster massage it lowers the public’s perception of all massages to follow. Low quality, overpriced services motivate the public to pursue cheap, unprofessional, and unlicensed facilities for relief. This increases the likelihood the public will be exposed to brothels disguised as massage businesses. As a consequence, this funnels more resources to sex traffickers, and contributes the pain and misery of those caught in its web of horror.
Elevating the collective skill of our industry enhances the public’s perception of legitimate massage business. It improves our ability as professionals to introduce new people to massage; creates a further divide between our facilities and the BDAMBs by increasing the public’s perception of massage.
Local massage communities must band together to create a culture with abundance. Experienced therapists need mentor less experienced professionals. Our industry needs Lantern Bearers if we expect to resurrect the excellence of our industry.
The Discovering Hope Initiative is a support group for massage therapists who are dedicated to the enrichment of our industry and the spectacular souls who practice massage. We offer a variety of community driven activities including classes, group events, and support groups to help you through your massage career. To learn more about what Jennifer Brand is doing to elevate our industry please click here.
We must know what the problem is, how it affects us, and who BDAMBs are. Of course, there are limitations to what we as professionals can to do help address this problem. Legislation and law enforcement is well outside of our scope, but we can explore the lore of who and what they are. This will grant us the ability to educate the public, our licensed practitioners, schools, and legitimate business on how to identify, avoid, and properly report them.
We must teach massage therapists and legitimate facilities how to handle sexual solicitation. The more BDAMBs that exist the bolder creeps become, we need to teach the professionals of our community how to navigate these situations and develop strategies to prevent them from happening again. This means management must take appropriate action when sexual solicitation occurs within the treatment room. The current hands-off approach must come to an end. Many facilities simply move inappropriate clients to other therapists with hopes the problem will resolve itself without addressing it. This practice is destroying careers and ruining our industry.
Legitimate massage facilities need to be educated on how to navigate the closures of BDAMBs. When these brothels close, they create a tidal wave of inappropriate behavior, our community must possess the skills necessary to navigate these hardships.
Additional Resources
For a deeper dive into the issues facing our industry visit The Future of the Massage Therapy Profession (massagepracticebuilder.com)
