This misunderstanding tends to cause problems for male massage therapists as they are caught off guard and end up having to explain, to their potential customers, that they will not be getting the kind of massage they were expecting. It gets in the way of male massage professionals simply doing their job by being put in an uncomfortable and awkward situation at their workplace. 

Such negative assumptions regarding male massage professionals are unnecessary and it's time they are put to rest:

Professionalism

It's best to always assume that a male massage therapist is a professional one and offers professional non-sexual semi-naked to naked massages. Their sole purpose is providing the therapeutic relaxing effect that massages offer for customers and nothing more. 

Comparing other professions 

Unfortunately, the assumption that a massage therapist offers massages of a sexual nature is made quite often. However, just as one would not expect anything of a sexual nature from any other practising professional that requires using physical contact (i.e. a physiotherapist), one should not assume they will receive a service of a sexual nature from a male massage therapist either. 

The sexual orientation of a massage therapist is irrelevant

Although a male massage therapist may have any sexual orientation, this is irrelevant as the service provided has nothing to do with sex. If he happens to be gay and is being friendly, again, a gay friendly massage does not mean it will be of a sexual nature. In fact, it is not even a friendship. This is still strictly a professional relationship where no sexual favours should be expected.

It is common knowledge that all professionals should be friendly and polite to their customers. It is part of keeping customers happy and returning. It is about being a good professional.

Business reputation 

If in doubt about whether you'll be receiving a non-sexual and professional massage from a male massage therapist, it's best to contact the massage studio in advance to clarify. If contacting them makes you uncomfortable, you can usually get information about what kind of business it is by reading reviews or by asking around. You can find out a lot about a business from their reputation. This can be a great help to a gay man looking for a professional non-sexual massage.

There are always exceptions

You may hear stories of a gay massage studio that offers massages of a sexual nature. They are offering sexual favours for a fee and are not professional massage studios. 

To summarise, a male massage therapist is only focused on being a professional and providing the best service possible. They want to keep their customers happy and returning. The last thing they want is to be expected to make sexual advances towards their customers. Their workplace is strictly a place of business and they are only interested in doing their job as best they can and maintaining their good reputation and livelihood.