The BBC has spoken to women who say they were sexually assaulted during massage treatments.
At-home massages have become more popular, but the BBC has heard from dozens of women who have been sexually assaulted by massage therapists in their own homes. Experts are now calling for the government to introduce stricter regulation in a sector that has little oversight.Callum Urquhart advertised his at-home massage services on social media, which is where Yas - not her real name - booked him.
"There would have been some repercussions to his actions," she added. "One of the reasons for me reporting it was to ensure that it didn't happen to anybody else."Under current UK regulations, masseuses don't need a licence, or any formal training, to start practicing massage - so anyone can set themselves up as a therapist, as the title is not protected. There is one accredited register, where a member of the public can look up a masseuse.
Yas says the lasting impact of her assault has been devastating. "I didn't want to go to sleep for a long time, because I was worried about dreaming about it. I suffered with panic attacks and it really made me doubt my own judgment because I had trusted this person to come into my home - so I felt like I couldn't trust anyone," she added.The rise of wellness apps has made booking massages at home easier than ever.
But soon into the massage, she felt something wasn't right. "When you have a really professional masseuse, you never feel like any part of your body is particularly exposed," she said. "This guy literally pulled the towel off the entire lower part of my body." Despite telling Taylor the technical glitch would be resolved "promptly", BBC News found his profile was still visible on the platform, three years on from the incident. Since BBC News contacted Urban about this, it has been removed entirely.
Urban told us therapists are required to undergo rigorous vetting - including a DBS check which was introduced in 2019 - and insist only a tiny fraction of their bookings have resulted in a complaint. The firm said all complaints are taken seriously and investigated.However, Yvonne Blake, chair of the General Council for Massage Therapies - the governing body for the sector - told the BBC that under current rules "absolutely anybody" can start practicing massage without checks.
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