The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has enjoined us to seek remedy saying: “Seek remedy, O servants of Allah” (Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan al-Tirmidhi). Therefore, a Muslim should consult competent specialists to obtain the most appropriate treatment for his case.
A problem always arises for a Muslim when he or she is treated by a member of the opposite sex. Muslim jurists have set certain rules for this kind of dealing between men and women so as to keep it within the parameters of the Islamic code of ethics and to preserve the modesty and chastity of both parties.
In his answer to this issue, Dr. Hatem Al-Haj stated that ‘ if therapeutic massage becomes necessary for a man, he should do his best to look for a man to do it for him. in the absence of a man, an older woman will be preferred ; if not, which is unlikely, then he should take his wife with him to learn how it is done and then do it for him. It is not too hard to learn. Moreover, the presence of his wife in the room will prevent any possible seclusion with a marriageable woman.
A man must also be honest with himself in assessing his need for this form of therapy.