"Massager" vs "masseuse"

Question

A friend of mine recently used the word masseuse to describe a person that gives massages. I have never heard of this terminology before so I'm wondering what the difference is between massager and masseuse?

To me, the -er ending makes it very obvious that it denotes "[a] person or thing that does an action indicated by the root verb; a person whose occupation is (the noun)." For instance:

player: a person who plays
driver: a person who drives
songwriter: a person who writes songs

I realize sometimes there is a distinction between male and female actors (e.g. actor/actress). Other words that have different endings to indicate the person:

assistant: a person who assists
scientist: a person who practices science

Now with the last example, the -ist suffix denotes profession or religion, so in my case, massage therapist would also work. But what's with the word masseuse?

David M · Accepted Answer

A masseuse is a female person who gives massages (the male is masseur).  The origin of the term is French.
Massage therapist usually implies that the person has undergone some special training in the use of massage to alleviate medical conditions.  They are typically licensed or certified in some manner:

How long does it take to become a Massage Therapist? In the U.S, legal
minimum hours for obtaining a massage therapy license differ from
state to state and range from 330 to 1,000 hours. [CareerExplorer]

A massager is a device that massages.
If you google massager you'll likely find a bunch of objects that vibrate or have knobs on them for being rubbed upon people's bodies.

The suffix -er just implies that it is a noun that performs a certain function.  It does not imply that it is a person's profession.  For example, an aircraft carrier.

Elian · Answer

I already heard the term "massagist" to refer to a masseur or masseuse.
E.g.
...of a massagist (masseur or masseuse) as herein defined...
[Yucca Valley]

No person licensed as a masseur, masseuse, or massagist, shall
massage or treat. [Naco]

It shall be a violation of this section for any person that doesn't hold a curremt license as a massage therapist to advertise therapy services by using the terms "massage", "massage therapist", "licensed massage therapist", "massage practitioner", "massagist", "masseur or masseuse"... [CGA]

Terpsichore · Answer

It's one of a pair of words of French origin: masseur, for a male; masseuse for a female.

Other examples are: chanteur, chanteuse for a singer; entrepreneur, entrepreneuse, for someone engaged in commercial enterprises (though the -euse form isn't in common usage with that example).

The problem is, those are gender-specific, which might explain the recent appearance of gender-neutral forms like massagist, or massager.

Patricia · Answer

The terms masseuse/masseur are titles used earlier when the industry was just beginning. The term today and the one that massage therapist prefer is (massage therapist) and not masseuse/masseur. When applying for licensing in the field, a school or licensing board will not and do not use these terms, masseuse/masseur. Most literature that refers to the field of massage therapy always uses the term massage therapist.

The term can also be viewed negatively by a massage therapist because they are terms used by an establishment that are seedy and questionable. An establishment that has build a reputation offering more than just a massage.

Jamie · Answer

Never call a professionally licensed massage therapist a masseuse. A masseuse is someone that sells sex for money and uses massage therapy as a cover. A real massage therapist obtains a professional license through an accredited massage therapy school or program.

Answered by Jamie on November 30, 2020

"Massager" vs "masseuse"

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