The Florida Administrative Code seems to suggest that a licensed massage therapist cannot engage in sexual behavior with a client even off premises and in a non-professional capacity. This concurs with the NCBTMB’s Standard of Practice V (e).

NCBTMB Standard of Practice VI (a) says a therapist wishing to be sexual with a client must end the therapist/client relationship and wait 6 months. If one wonders if the NCBTMB has ever enforced this rule…it has.

A good piece of advice to a therapist is to never give a boyfriend or girlfriend a sensual massage because they may never be able to think of them massaging without picturing it that way. Following the laws and Standards pertaining to sexual behavior has a similar effect; it leaves little chance of misinterpreting the intentions of the therapist.

Failure to explain and perform proper draping techniques can be cause for disciplinary action by the Florida board. However, this is not considered a sexual misconduct. Also the law mentions that the client can give consent to be undraped. Standard of Practice I (k) says, “use appropriate draping to protect the client’s physical and emotional privacy.”

The NCBTMB’s “appropriate” language might be met by the fact the law allows client to consent to not draping. Based on the ethic, undraping would be “appropriate” if it did not interfere with the well being of the client. Certainly, this would be necessary in the case of colonic hydrotherapy as some areas need to be exposed to the therapist. This, no doubt, had some influence in the “consent law.”