For Massage Therapists: Licenses, Certifications & Getting Clients
By Angela Kayode-Sanni
| Last updated:
Aug 12
|
14 min read
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Therapeutic massage is an ancient profession passed down from one generation to the other in ancient times. It involves targeted rubbing and kneading of specific muscles and joints. This is primarily to relieve pain and stress or address a particular body problem.
However, in recent times, passing knowledge is no longer recognized as credibility to practice this profession. A license is now the requirement in order to offer massage therapy to patients irrespective of the part of ancient Egypt your knowledge must have been derived from.
This is especially true because massage therapy has evolved from being a perk in spas and salons to being a vital part of healthcare due to the various types of conditions massage therapy addresses.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapists rake in an average of $44,000 annually. The projected growth rate over the next 9 years is 21% which is 5% higher than the average growth of most occupations.
In this article, we will look at the massage therapy license, the requirements, certifications, the various specialties, and how Formplus can support massage therapists effectively.
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Massage therapists are specialists trained to treat specific injuries and health conditions by applying targeted pressure to the body’s muscles, joints, ligaments, and soft tissues. Their administration results in improved circulation, stress reduction, and soothing sore spots in the body.
Becoming a massage therapist involves formal education, certification, and a license. A license for a massage therapist is a government-issued license permitting professionals who have satisfied the requirements to be a massage therapist, to provide massage therapy services for patients.
It is important to note that a massage therapy license varies across various locations globally.
However, there are some general requirements required to get this license, which include passing an approved exam that tests the knowledge of individuals on topics like;
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A massage therapy license varies from a massage business license, which allows for private practice. This is so because not all massage therapists would own a business. Some of them would work for healthcare organizations and the like.
The essence of a license is to regulate the practice and guarantee a standard level of safety and finesse, as the role involves physical contact and proximity to sensitive body parts.
As we established earlier, the requirements for a massage therapist vary; however, there are general expectations that need to be fulfilled to practice as a massage therapist.
Below are 5 steps required across the board for a massage therapist.
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The certification area varies from palliative care, sports massage, spa management, veterinary massage, and clinical rehabilitation massage. Anyone is ideal; it is just dependent on your area of personal interest.
A certificate is a credential that attests to the mastery of a skillset. For massage therapists, a certification in this field is an optional and additional testimonial that you specialize in a particular area of massage therapy. Simply put, a certificate in massage therapy depicts a clear commitment to higher standards.
There are medical doctors who are called general practitioners. We also have doctors who specialize in gynecology, pediatrics, and dentistry by going further to garner hands-on experience in these areas of specialization.
Similarly, earning a certificate in massage therapy requires hands-on clinical hours in the area of specialty desired alongside a specific examination to assess your expertise.
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It is noteworthy that certificates in massage therapy vary in content, cost, and length, depending on the area of interest. Listed below are 7 massage therapy certifications and their requirements.
1. Medical Massage Therapy Certification: features various classes focused on body mechanics. It is designed for newbies in the massage therapy space who want to focus on easing pain from injuries and illnesses through a corrective and restorative approach.
Requirements:
2. Board Certification in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB): This is a highly regarded voluntary certification in massage therapy for professionals who have completed 750 hours of study and 250 hours of hands-on clinical experience.
Requirements
3. Master Therapist (MTAPA): This certification involves in-depth training in psychotherapy techniques, a form of mind massage popularly referred to as talk therapy.
Requirements
4. Stone Massage Therapist Certification: This certification specializes in hot stone therapy using basalt and marble stones. The focus is on the pros and cons, care, applications, and effect of the varying stone temperature on the human body—using materials and required standards.
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Requirements
5. Sports Massage Certification: This certification analyzes the science behind sports massage and teaches massage therapists the applications of techniques to adopt when working with athletes.
Requirements
6. Certified Instructor of Infant Massage: This certification is for therapists who want to support parents by providing or teaching infant massage techniques. Topics include the length of the massage, appropriate oils, and baby body signals during the massage. It also consists of a regular full-body massage and skills for preterm, low-birth-weight infants with unique needs.
Requirements
7. Massage Therapy Certification (MT): specializes in hands-on training in different massage techniques. It also features essential methods of boosting the health and well-being of patients.
Requirements
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Founded by David Palmer in 1968, the chair massage is focused on the upper body. It is a highly mobile massage specialty. The equipment used to administer this massage is the functional massage chair, fabricated to provide easy access to the head, shoulders, back, and arms.
A chair massage affords patients privacy, as the procedure is usually done over clothes and does not require massage, lotions, or oils. The duration varies from 10-30minutes maximum, and some specialized techniques are used to administer this massage.
The benefits of a chair massage are;
Cupping is a massage therapy to loosen up stiff body tissues using vacuum suction. It has origins in ancient Egypt as early as (1550 B.C), where Eber’s papyrus first mentioned it.
The process involves using a specialized massage cup to apply pressure to the skin and gently latch on to the skin, and raises the skin’s soft tissues into the cup.
Cupping therapy is comforting and not painful. Slight redness and a feeling of heat are expected after the process due to the increased blood flow stimulated by the process. This, in turn, promotes cell repair and triggers the growth of new connective tissues.
Cupping is believed to cause healing and is mainly used to treat conditions like immobility, joint-related conditions, arthritis, blood disorders, topical skin conditions, anxiety, depression, migraines, and many more.
Benefits of cupping include:
Trigger points are sore touch points usually experienced in the muscles. There are painful to touch, and when any kind of pressure is applied, it evokes sharp pains in the body.
A trigger point massage aims to decompress the tightening caused by these pains. Trigger point massage treats muscle tightening or cramping caused by injury and lack of or too much exercise.
Trigger point pain can be very intense, and the pain radiates to different parts of the body. The Trigger massage therapy works by gently manipulating the muscle and applying pressure to various positions until it loosens up, eliminating the pain.
Trigger point therapy treats conditions like sciatica, headaches, migraines, sports injuries, and arthritis-related diseases. The beauty of trigger massage therapy is that patients can get relief after one session.
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The benefits of trigger massage are;
It is an ancient form of massage popular amongst the Chinese. It involves using fingers to apply pressure on specific body parts to promote blood circulation and release body tension. Shiatsu is the Japanese name for finger, hence the name “Shiatsu Massage.” The Shiatsu process combines acupressure, stretching, and kneading of joints to improve flexibility and provide fluid motion.
The intensity of a Shiatsu massage would vary for each person, depending on their general condition. Thu, techniques involving thumbs, fingers, elbows, and knees release tension and soothe the patient’s pain points.
During a Shiatsu process, feedback from the client is required for the therapist to know the level of pressure the patient can bear. The process lasts approximately for 60-90minutes, and a feeling of soreness for 16 to 24 hours after the procedure is standard.
Benefits of Shiatsu include:
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It is a form of alternative therapy that employs gentle touch to apply pressure intermittently to joints connecting the brain to the spine. It is used to treat conditions like headaches, side effects of chemotherapy, relieve tension, and neck pain, to mention a few.
The craniosacral massage is one of the gentlest forms of therapy; there is no form of force applied during the process. Fingertips are the only tools required to massage the tissue gently and fluid membranes that connect the brain to the spine, and the amount of pressure needed for optimum results in this process is barely 5grams.
It treats conditions like scoliosis(curvature of the spine), head trauma, fatigue, migraines, and coordination impairments. The amount of time required for this therapy is dependent on the state of the patient’s health.
The benefits of Craniosacral therapy are;
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Breema is a form of therapy that uses different touch sensations on the skin and body movements to help the body realign itself and release vital energy flow to all body parts. It is a rare combination of dance-like activities, accompanied by stretching and massage across specific touch points in the body.
The focus is to reach a balance between the mind, soul, and body, which would trigger a heightened awareness of your body and improve overall wellbeing across all touch points.
Breema usually takes place on the floor on padded cushions while the patient is fully clothed, and the therapist then begins a series of tension-relieving stretches.
The Breema process s controlled by 9 principles;
Benefit Include:
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Polarity therapy was developed in 1948 by Dr. Randolph Stone, an Osteopath. Polarity therapy creates equilibrium in body energy levels through touch, exercise, nutrition, and self-awareness.
Like all energy therapy, Polarity is built based on 3 assumptions;
Polarity therapy believes that negative and positive energy in the body’s magnetic field controls the body’s energy levels.
A typical phototherapy session involves physical touch and hovering over the patient to manipulate energy. However, there is little scientific evidence to back up the effectiveness of Polarity therapy, even when recipients of the process believe that ot works.
Benefits include:
Lomi Lomi massage has its origin in the islands of Hawaii. Lomi in the Hawaiian language means to rub or touch. So Lomi Lomi massage means rub-rub massage. The process combines massage techniques, oils, dance chants, and prayers. It involves deep, fluid strokes to create a feeling of satisfaction and relaxation.
The Lomi Lomi massage was founded on the basis that each cell of the body stores memories, so the fluid strokes are meant to help the body purge itself of the old and make way for the new.
The therapist uses hands, feet, elbows, and knees during the process.
It is essential to know that in recent times, prayers and chants are no longer part of the process. Relaxing music and a calming environment are now being used to create the atmosphere needed for a loving touch, another way the Lomi Lomi massage is called.
The benefits include:
Formplus is the easiest-to-use data collection software. It features many forms that can be shared, accessed, and filled in through a web link or a QR code.
For a massage therapist, Formplus can provide massage consultation form templates that are both mobile and desktop friendly. Most importantly, the forms and surveys can be customized to suit the requirements of various massage therapists.
The Formplus templates are intuitive; for example, the free-to-use appointment form templates has a date and time feature that indicates already filled slots and makes it unavailable for clients to schedule sessions.
With the Formplus templates, the following can be achieved seamlessly and in real-time;
The information gathered from clients can be accessed in real-time and stored securely on the form and in secure storage. Please check here for a look and feel of the massage consultation form.
Massage therapy has evolved from traditional or cultural interventions to a form of health care that is well regulated. There are now licensing criteria that need to be met for the safety of the clients and to ensure a certain level of standard and professionalism in the industry.
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