BBC report highlights inappropriate male behaviour during beauty treatments
By Rebecca Hitchon | 26 June 2026 | News & Events
A BBC Scotland News report has highlighted the ‘common problem’ of female beauty professionals receiving sexualised and inappropriate comments and messages from male clients.
The report sees two Scottish massage therapists interviewed about their experiences. Maria – the owner of Gentle Hands Massage Therapy in East Ayrshire, shares that she felt ‘threatened’ and ‘scared’ following more than one male client asking to be uncovered on her massage table, along with a string of other inappropriate remarks. This led to her refusing to take on any new male clients.
The BBC also interviewed Dani of Glasgow business, Drift by Dani, who only treats men she knows or who clients have confidently referred. She explains how she barred a client who joked to his friends that she was offering ‘happy endings’, to protect her safety and business’ reputation.
Esteemed salon and academy owner & spokesperson for the British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (BABTAC), Jenny Storey, contributes to the report. She reveals that she feels ‘almost desensitised’ to inappropriate social media messages from men, as they are so common. In her first spa job at the age of 19, a male client locked her in a treatment room with him and luckily, she was able to escape – but it has influenced how she trains her team.
She shares that frequent comments include ‘do you give happy endings’ and notes: “As much as some people obviously just mean it as a joke, it’s minimising what we do in the industry and it can make people feel really uncomfortable as well. Obviously it doesn’t always happen to people and it is unfair to tar all men with the same brush, because we’ve got some amazing male clients, but it is important to prepare [staff] with what could happen and how to cope with it.
“I don’t know why it’s so prevalent in our industry because in any other industry, it just would not be tolerated,” Jenny says.
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Lesley Blair MBE, chief executive & chair of BABTAC, comments: “We believe no therapist should feel unsafe at work and encourage salons to implement clear reporting procedures, lone working policies and staff training, so that professionals feel empowered to challenge inappropriate behaviour and seek support when needed.
“We are calling for greater respect for beauty professionals and for inappropriate behaviour to be recognised for what it is – unacceptable workplace harassment, not something therapists should simply be expected to put up with.”
Read the BBC’s full report here.
Click here to read Scratch‘s article on safety in the nail industry.
