Watson case revives old fight for massage therapy industry

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Michelle Krause grapples with the challenge of telling people she is a massage therapist. It’s just easier to say she works in finance or nutrition. She’s among the hundreds of massage therapists attending the American Massage Therapy Association’s three-day national convention in Cleveland, which began Thursday. It’s an opportunity to talk about a job made more difficult amid the pandemic. There was the 2021 attack on three Atlanta-area massage businesses in which eight people were killed. And then there’s the lingering stain of NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson’s ongoing case that has perpetuated the sex worker stigma around the industry. These professionals are trying to move forward, focusing on education, ethics, vetting potential customers and setting boundaries.