massage

Wow, I didn't know Oxford had a school of Massage! How cool would that be to be able to say that you are a liscensed massage therapist who graduated at Oxford?!

Oriental Massage is a politically in-correct term, is often times used as a euphemism for prostitution, and is considered an oxymoron by some in the massage community. Granted, many use the term “Oriental” naively, but now you know. Through education we can help the holistic community more accurately and honorably refer to the plethora of therapies that originate from Asia. “Oriental” is an insensitive, politically in-correct term that is used to grossly describe a region, population, and culture that is richly diverse and historically important. The term “Oriental” was first used by 16th century Euro-centric aristocrats as they explored the Far East. Oriental was used to describe all things non-Western or non-European. It was widely used in the past in Europe and the United States, but today the use of “Oriental” is viewed as separatist, denigrating, and elitist. A more accurate and honorable why to refer to a region, people, or culture is by specifically acknowledging them: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. When forced to group these diverse cultures together, it is more appropriate to refer to them as Asian, not Oriental. There are numerous types of therapies that have been imported to the United States from Asian countries and cultures. These powerful therapies are unique and deserve to be acknowledged appropriately.