Masseur vs. Masseuse

[BeefyDude]

Sorry to nitpick but....

SO many ads (from providers and those seeking) who use the term "Masseuse"

Masseuse is a female term

Masseur is a male term

 

The term masseuse is a French word that refers to a female who practices massage. (Males in the industry were known as masseurs.) 

[mike carey]

My guess is that people misunderstand when others say 'masseurs' and assume it is singular.

[buttlvr99]

Or maybe in this day and age of fluid genderism, it really doesn’t matter anymore.

[+ Jamie21]

3 minutes ago, buttlvr99 said:

Or maybe in this day and age of fluid genderism, it really doesn’t matter anymore.

Yes! Except I get clients asking for a ‘masseuse’ for a 4 hands with me when they really mean another masseur. If I didn’t check it with them and turned up with a female 4 hands partner I think they’d be a bit surprised!! 

[+ EVdude]

2 hours ago, BeefyDude said:

SO many ads (from providers and those seeking) who use the term "Masseuse"

Masseuse is a female term

Masseur is a male term

Some languages (Spanish for one) do not distinguish between the feminine/masculine. So perhaps that’s where some of the misuse emanates from.

 

[BeefyDude]

like i said just nit picking

Another explaining is people genuinely don't know the difference - for them hopefully this helped

[LA90046]

Likely the same people who use "dominate" as an adjective.

[MuscleDaddyRWC]

Isn't this why we use 'massage therapist '?

[LA90046]

3 hours ago, MuscleDaddyRWC said:

Isn't this why we use 'massage therapist '?

Correct, but the website is called "masseurfinder" not "massagetherapistfinder."  😂

[+ azdr0710]

Another possible reason is the word 'masseuse' was just a bit more commonly known years ago. I think there were more masseuses in practice and available back then. Despite the two major sites having the masculine form right there in the website name (!), some more-amateur guys may not even know there's a gender differentiation 

[mike carey]

Masseur is one of those job titles in English which don't have -man as a suffix, that are taken to include both genders. Some of those have a female variant that is used to make a distinction when that is needed. Think actress, aviatrix and dominatrix. (There are examples where there is no female form, perhaps because linguistically speaking it was inconceivable for a woman to do that job. Think doctor. When women started working in the field no need was seen for a special word.)  Masseuse is perhaps an outlier in that use of the female variant is bleeding across to male practitioners. It will be interesting linguistically to see if this incorrect usage becomes normalised, as often happens as the meaning of words shifts to what a proportion of native speakers think they mean, or if the gender distinction holds.

[Ajac]

I remember many years ago I was nervous and accidentally used the word masseuse he took my hand and put it on his cock and sternly said this is what makes me a "masseur". I smiled at him and never made the mistake again.😁

[+ EVdude]

2 hours ago, Ajac said:

he took my hand and put it on his cock

Alright then… I’ll stick to using “masseuse”!🤑

[jeezifonly]

I choose male bodyworkers at a spa in addition to choosing private services. I prefer the (typically) broader surface area of a man’s forearms and hands. That said, one of the best sessions I ever had (no gender choice available) was on a cruise ship from a woman called Dunya. Experienced and *strong*, as one might expect from “Assistant Coach, Croatian Bowling Team”