Ravens’ Justin Tucker: ‘Massage therapists deserve to work in a safe and respectful environment’ - MSN

[Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun]

Emily Jones convened the staff of her Canton spa in early January for a refresher meeting about their protocol for responding to inappropriate behavior from clients during massage sessions. They talked about ways to protect themselves and how to ask for help when in uncomfortable situations.


“Being in this industry … you have to have that type of protocol, no matter what,” said Jones, who holds such meetings periodically.

Jones is the general manager of Even Keel Wellness spa, which she said has no ties to the recent public allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior made by at least nine massage therapists against Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

Six massage therapists from five high-end spas accused the Ravens kicker of “exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments” between 2012 and 2016, The Baltimore Banner reported last month. Three more therapists came forward after the initial report, accusing Tucker of similar inappropriate behavior in interviews with The Baltimore Sun and The Banner.

In a statement posted on X after the initial report, Tucker called the allegations “unequivocally false.” His attorneys also told The Banner it was “not news” that his genitals might have been exposed during massage sessions.

In a statement to The Sun on Wednesday, the attorneys clarified that the “not news” comment “did not refer to the accounts from the sources themselves or to an allegation of repeated intentional exposure” but instead to the “reasonable conclusion that accidental exposure” is possible during more than 10 years of therapy sessions.

They also provided a separate statement to The Sun Wednesday on Tucker’s behalf.

“I absolutely respect the profession and more so the individuals who work as massage therapists,” Tucker’s statement said. “I recognize the importance of professional bodywork, especially as a professional athlete. By investing my time and resources over many years to restorative bodywork during the times when I’m most active as a football player, I have experienced the health and athletic performance benefits. Physical therapy and massage therapy are [a] large part of why I’ve been consistently healthy and available during the football season. I abhor mistreatment of any kind and in no way condone the victimization of this profession. Massage therapists deserve to work in a safe and respectful environment and should never have to tolerate misconduct of any kind.”

No criminal or civil actions had been filed against Tucker as of Wednesday, according to Maryland case search.

In interviews with The Sun, Baltimore-area spa owners and massage therapists pushed back against the notion that any level of genitalia exposure is a given in their industry, which they said is too often the victim of a hyper-sexualized stigma that is damaging to the integrity of the profession and the safety of its workers.

“People question you about, ‘Oh, how many times have people come on to you?’ Like, can we be done with this?” Michelle Krause, a licensed massage therapist in Severna Park, told The Sun.

Massage therapy as a practice in holistic healing methods has been around for over 5,000 years. Its current form as a licensed profession in 45 states began in Ohio in 1916, according to massageschoolnotes.com. Maryland enacted licensing requirements in 1996 — one of 17 states to take that step in the 1990s.

The profession, rooted in healing by physical touch, has long been dogged by a perception that sexual behavior is welcomed within a massage room.

Krause, who has worked in the industry for two decades and has no connection to Tucker, referenced a suggestive massage therapy episode of the sitcom “Friends” as well as cavalier usage of the outdated term “masseuse” — which she heard on the radio last week — as frustrating data points in massage therapists’ struggle to rid assumptions of sexual activity.

At Even Keel, if a client acts inappropriately in a room, the therapists are trained to immediately terminate the service, find either Jones or the receptionist, and remove themselves to the opposite end of the building. Police are then contacted and the client is removed and banned. For Krause, who works at Vital Fitness Holistic Center in Anne Arundel County, video calls with clients to discuss expectations as well as a form of prepayment are nonnegotiable.

Allegations against Tucker aren’t the first against NFL stars. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was the subject of a 2021 lawsuit for sexual misconduct during massage sessions that resulted in an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine. In 2019, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty to charges of solicitation as part of an investigation into possible prostitution at a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlor. Watson settled his nearly two dozen civil lawsuits in 2022 while Kraft issued a public apology and charges were eventually dropped.

When such stories go public, it perpetuates the stigma.

“Massage therapists are dedicated healthcare professionals who uphold high standards of ethics, training, and client care,” the American Massage Therapy Association said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. “Their role in promoting health and wellness should never be overshadowed by the misconduct of individuals who violate professional boundaries.”

It’s a delicate conversation and one that many Baltimore-area spas didn’t feel comfortable having for publication. But one employee said the mere mention of working in massage therapy is often met by a side eye or wisecrack that they’re quick to shut down. Another admitted calls looking for sexual favors come in frequently. Jones said that most of those calls from people with “nefarious tendencies” looking for “illegal spa services” won’t make it past the request for identification information.

Krause said she’s aware of multiple illegitimate massage spas in Maryland that are owned by therapists who are not properly certified under state law and operated as fronts for prostitution. As recently as 2020, arrests have been made in Anne Arundel and Carroll counties. Folks who take extensive training for proper licensing in the $21.6 billion industry can be left feeling delegitimized in the public eye.

The AMTA pointed out several state and national requirements: hundreds of anatomy, physiology and hands-on training, complemented by licensing exams and board certifications. With all that in a massage therapist’s back pocket, it’s discomfiting to be demeaned by clientele.

A survey of 1,200 massage therapists in 2018, shared by The Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals, found that nearly two-thirds of massage therapists have experienced unwanted sexual advances from clients.

“By recognizing the expertise and integrity of licensed massage therapists,” the AMTA said, “we can continue to support a profession committed to healing, wellness, and ethical practice.”

The flip side of such allegations, feeding the stereotype that massage spas are fronts for prostitution and sex trafficking, is that all professional athletes use their celebrity and wealth in inappropriate ways, which also isn’t true. Krause spoke glowingly of a former Raven who she treated years ago. He showed up to an introductory call explaining his neck issues in good faith.

“That’s why I brought him in,” Krause said. “He was legitimately searching [for help]. He wasn’t going, ‘Hey, I’m having inner thigh issues.’ Or ‘do you do draping?’”

Krause kept circling back to the lack of accountability with such high-profile allegations, noting that a negative response in the court of public opinion isn’t justice (sexual impropriety allegations are difficult to address in court). After allegations against Watson, Krause gave a state-of-the-profession interview to The Associated Press. She recently wondered, “What ever happened to that guy?” and was floored to learn Cleveland made him the highest-paid player in NFL history when Krause said she knows women who have lost their jobs after reporting misconduct.

“I don’t believe there are that many people in the world that are doing it,” she said. “We do publicize the negative a lot because the news is going to put out dirty laundry. But somehow the massage therapist ends up being the dirty laundry.”

Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com , 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn .

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