Your Guide To Becoming A Massage Therapist

By Christa Jarvis


As early as 2330 BC, a painting in the Tomb of the Physician depicts what is presumed to be a massage session, with two men appearing to have their hands and feet worked on by two other people. The Chinese compilation of medical wisdom and information, the Nei Jing, contains rubbing techniques and uses in thirty various chapters, and was composed in 722 BC. In 700 BC, the earliest known Chinese doctor Bian Que practiced medicinal massage.

Although the art of rubbing has been hindered from accomplishing the scientific gold standard because of clinical trial variable issues, it has a lot of proven health benefits. We the fast paced, stressful lifestyles we lead today, we need a massage therapist Dover NH to give us pain relief, reduce blood pressure and depression, and lessen anxiety. Because it has become a highly profitable business when everyone is seeking a peaceful refuge away from the nuisances of daily life, becoming a successful therapist is one of the hottest jobs on demand.

It is not enough that you have the hands to do the work. You have to empathetic and sensitive to the needs of your client. You can do some extensive and intensive research by getting the experience yourself so you can observe how therapists should behave themselves.

Choose an area of specialization. Like physicians, therapists also have different concentrations, depending on the end or purpose of your practice. Some will focus on repairing muscles, or reducing pain, or healing a physical ailment. Your style will also branch out from from one or two to more techniques once you mastered a couple or so.

The most common types are sports, clinical, and Swedish. If you are going for healing and relief or relaxation, you may want to specialize in the Swedish form. If you have a thorough understanding of the human body and anatomy, you could master the clinical form, design to treat physical ailments. If you are up to assisting athletes in recovering from their injuries and improving their physical fitness, you can opt for the sports technique.

Enroll in a massage school so you can get a training program. Most states require around six hundred hours of training if you want to get certified. Also, the duration of the completion of your program will depend on how many classes you are willing to take at the same time.

Most massage schools offer Swedish and other specialties, so find one that offers the specializations you are most interested in. Get to know the licensing requirements of your jurisdiction. While not all jurisdictions require a license, it would be illegal to practice without a license in some of them.

Finally, decide whether you want to look for a job or go self employed. You can usually make more money by starting your own business if you are willing to take the challenge that it will be difficult to find clients at first. Make sure that you got your business papers and items taken care of such as your business name and registration, and set up a comfortable space for your clients with reliable equipment.

There are hypotheses that state that rubbing can do more than its purported benefits. It is possible that it could hinder nociception according to the gate control theory. It is probable that serotonin and endorphins can be deliberately released through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system via massage. Although these things should still have to be proven, you can help boost the credibility of the science of massaging by supporting peer reviewed medical journals that publish randomized controlled trials of the practice.




About the Author: