The Healing Crisis: How Illicit “Spas” Are Hurting Your Health and Undermining Real Therapists
A Message to the Public and a Call for Change in the UAE
As a doctor and licensed therapist who has treated thousands of patients across three countries, I have witnessed a healthcare revolution. In nations like Canada, physiotherapists and registered massage therapists are highly respected, university-educated healthcare professionals. They are the first people you see for back pain, sports injuries, and chronic muscle issues. They assess, diagnose, and create treatment plans. They save people from surgery and opioids.
But here in the UAE, a disturbing and dangerous contradiction is unfolding.
A noble, science-based profession dedicated to healing is being systematically destroyed by a shadow industry. This isn’t just about reputation—it’s about your health, your safety, and the erosion of quality care.
The Two Worlds: The Clinician vs. The Imposter
The Real Therapist:
The Illicit Spa "Therapist":
- Education: 4-5 years of rigorous university-level study in anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, and biomechanics.
- Expertise: Understands how your rotator cuff functions, why your sciatic nerve is inflamed, and how to rehabilitate a post-surgical knee. They treat complex conditions like frozen shoulder, plantar fasciitis, and post-stroke rehabilitation.
- Ethos: Bound by a strict code of ethics, professional boundaries, and a duty of care. Their goal is your long-term functional improvement.
- “Training”: Often none. No knowledge of the “A” of Anatomy or body mechanics. Zero understanding of contraindications (when a treatment could be dangerous).
- “Service”: Focused on entertainment, not healthcare. The primary qualification is often appearance, not qualification.
- Risk: Applying pressure incorrectly can injure nerves, damage joints, or worsen a hidden medical condition. You are not receiving therapy; you are undergoing an uncontrolled, risky manipulation by an unqualified person.
The public is being tragically misled. The term “massage” has been hijacked. When you search for pain relief, you are inundated with venues that are, in reality, fronts for prostitution. This has created a catastrophic reputational smear that hurts everyone.
The Consequences: A Triple Tragedy
- For YOU, the Patient/Public:
- Misdiagnosis & Harm: A real injury is ignored or made worse by improper handling.
· Missed Care: You are diverted from legitimate, life-improving treatment.
· Ethical Violation: You are exposed to unethical and potentially illegal environments. - For the Genuine Professional:
· Career Suffocation: Highly skilled individuals with years of study and thousands of treated patients (like myself) are unemployed or overlooked. Employers at some “wellness” centers often prioritize “beautiful, young faces” over proven clinical competence. - Psychological Toll: After a 5-year degree and a passion for healing, they are lumped in the same category as sex workers. Their dignity is stripped daily.
· Economic Injustice: They cannot compete with a clandestine industry that sells a very different, illegal “service.” - For the UAE’s Healthcare System:
· It loses a vital frontline defense against musculoskeletal pain—the world’s leading cause of disability.
· It perpetuates dependency on doctors for simple musculoskeletal issues, overburdening primary care.
· It fails to meet the standard of a modern, progressive nation where physiotherapists are autonomous, respected clinicians.
A Direct Appeal to the Public: How to Be Part of the Solution
Your choices as a consumer have power. You can protect your health and help reclaim a vital profession.
How to Spot a Legitimate Clinic/Therapist:
Ask for CREDENTIALS: A real therapist will proudly show a university degree/diploma and a UAE health authority license. No license, no treatment.
· Observe the ENVIRONMENT: It looks and smells like a medical or professional clinic—clean, discrete, with treatment rooms, not dimly lit rooms with candles.
· Listen to the PROCESS: A real session always starts with a thorough consultation and assessment—questions about your health history, injury, and goals. If they don’t ask, they can’t treat.
· Check the FOCUS: The conversation is about your pain, your function, and your treatment plan. The goal is measurable improvement.
· Beware of “MENUS”: Legitimate therapy is not chosen from a list of “Swedish, Thai, Aromatherapy” like a takeaway menu. It is a clinical prescription based on your assessment.
Stop Going to “Beautiful” Imposters. You would not let a model perform your dental surgery. Do not let an unqualified person manipulate your spine. You are not buying a fantasy; you are gambling with your physical well-being.
A Call to Authorities & Employers: It's Time to Act
We call upon the UAE’s visionary leaders and ethical business owners to:
Strengthen Enforcement: Raid and shutter illicit establishments with zero tolerance. Protect the term “therapy.”
· Elevate the Profession: Grant licensed, degree-holding physiotherapists and musculoskeletal therapists direct access and insurance billing rights, as in developed nations. Let them practice at their full scope.
· Hire Based on Skill, Not Sight: Medical centers must lead by example. Hire the most qualified, not the most photogenic.
· Launch a Public Awareness Campaign: Educate the nation on the difference between healthcare and illicit activity.
To My Fellow Suffering Professionals:
Your degree is not worthless. Your skill is not trivial. We must unite, advocate, and demand the recognition we have earned. Let us educate one patient at a time and push for systemic change.
The goal is simple: to make the UAE a place where seeking treatment for pain leads you to a qualified professional in a clinic—not to a criminal in a parlour.
Your health, and our profession’s survival, depend on this change.
By: A Healthcare Professional Standing for Integrity and Science.
