An Overview of Massage Therapy
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, from whom the Hippocratic Oath of physicians takes its name, recognized the benefits that come with massage therapy as early as 400 BC. In the thousands of years since, massage has evolved in different parts of the globe as a therapeutic, non-surgical solution for a wide variety of health issues. In the western world today, massage therapy is used to treat a range of ailments, from stress and depression to rehabilitating sports injuries and healing overused or misused muscles.
Massage is a broad field – massage therapists have eighty different specialties to choose from, including sports massage, neuromuscular massage, deep tissue massage, and reflexology, a specialty of massage that manipulates muscles in the feet to treat problems elsewhere in the body.
The future of massage is bright. As more people come to understand the benefits of massage, massage therapy isn't just for clients who can afford to attend high-end spas anymore. The number of massage therapists is expected to grow by 20% in the next seven to eight years.
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Schooling, State Examination, Continuing Education
Because massage therapy has taken many years to gain in popularity and recognition as a viable profession, state regulations for massage therapists still vary greatly from one state to the next. In the majority of states, however, massage therapists are required to receive formal training from a massage therapy school and pass a state or national examination in order to receive a license to practice.
At the moment, there are approximately 1,500 massage therapy schools and massage therapy training programs in the United States. These programs do not have one set curriculum, but in general massage therapist candidates can expect to take classroom topics that cover kinesiology (body mechanics and the science of movement), anatomy, physiology, ethics, and business. Outside the lecture hall, students will gain practical, hands-on experience using different types of massage techniques.
States have different licensure requirements, so check with a massage therapy school or the check the state requirements before taking a licensing exam. One attractive option for licensure is the NCETMB, or National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. With this license, massage therapists can gain a license for massage therapy in the majority of states.
Like other health field professionals, it's important for massage therapists to maintain their licensure by keeping up to date with the latest massage therapy techniques through taking continuing education courses. The board which administers the NCETMB, the National Certification Board for TherapeuticMassage and Bodywork, maintains a list of approved continuing education resources to help massage therapists stay up-to-date with their licenses. Some of these courses can be taken at home, but others require students to travel to a massage school or university.
Job Opportunities for Massage Therapists
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, fully 64% of massage therapists are self-employed. These self-employed massage therapists sometimes do massage as a side-job, often making house calls by traveling to people's homes with a traveling massage table. Other self-employed massage therapists keep their own office and run their own massage therapy business. The rest of the self-employed massage therapists work as independent contractors. These massage therapists make a connection with a spa, health club, doctor's office, or similar establishment and receive a set portion of each massage client's payment, while the rest goes to the business that hosts them. The best places for massage therapists to find work is in larger, metropolitan areas or in resort areas.
Some massage therapists choose to join a professional massage association, which makes it easier for massage therapists to network, find new jobs, and find new clients. Probably the largest of these is the American Massage Therapy Association, which accounts for almost half of the massage therapists in the United States.
As far as earnings go, massage therapists on average earn about $15 per hour. Mid-range hourly wages for massage therapists can go up to $25 per hour, and the highest bracket of massage therapists earns close to $35 per hour. Unfortunately for massage therapists, because the majority of the therapists are self-employed, not many have health or dental benefits.
All in all, the future of massage therapy is bright. In the next several years, certified, licensed massage therapists should find it easy to find work as a massage therapist.
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Massage Therapy Trainer Certification Courses, Schools and Exams - Massage Therapy Colleges - Programs - Classes
Massage Therapist Training Acadamy - Education
NCBTMB Certification
Massage Therapy - Massage Therapy Schools & Training
An Overview of Massage Therapy - Massage Therapy & Prostitution
High Paying Therapist Jobs - Online EDU For Massage Therapist
Licensure and Examination - Continuing Education
Background Checks & Criminal History
