Massage Therapist Salary

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS;

The most important is probably :

What are the qualifications of the person from whom you will receive physical and massage therapy?

In Manitoba , massage therapy is unregulated. The Manitoba ministry of Health has the position that there is no evidence that non-qualified massage therapists can do harm to the general public.

(paraphrase)

The provincial criteria for regulation should be 'whether the therapy achieves the results which are promised by the therapist and requested by the client.

Basically, anyone can take a six week course in massage therapy, hang up a sign and open up a business in rural Manitoba. Without prejudice to some municipalities, there are however some requirements of training which are made by some municipal jurisdictions in order to obtain business licensing. In contrast to rural Manitoba where there are little licensing requirements,in Winnipeg, there is a requirement for a remedial massage course which is approx. a 2200 hour course or the equivalent to two years full time course. This allows the therapist to be licensed with the City of Winnipeg and obtain a license to practice as a therapist. The only other license in the massage industry is for 'massagist' in the sex trade or escort services. This license is not mobile and is intended to control the operators in that industry.

There currently is no category for anyone graduating from a 100-1000 hour course performing chair massage in the workplace. Chair massage in Winnipeg has to be performed by over-qualified therapists when a lesser qualified practitioner would suffice. But the license category for practitioner doesn't exist in Winnipeg as it does for example in Toronto.

In contrast, in other provinces, the requirement may be as little as 400 hours of training as in Quebec, or as much as 3000 hours as in British Colombia.

In the U.S.A. the national and state requirement is a 500-600 hour course and required accreditation with the American Massage Therapy Association(AMTA).

Massage Therapy Schools – Who Makes a Good Massage Therapist?

Have you always found the sciences to be more interesting than literature? Are you fascinated by the human body – inside and out? Do you enjoy helping others feel good? If so, maybe you should consider a career in massage therapy.

Massage therapy education almost always includes the basic fundamental forms and functions of the human body. When you enter into an intensive massage therapy program of study, you can bet required courses will include biology, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, pathology, and some form of psychology.

To be a good masseuse, you also have to enjoy working with and helping people. Your massage education will prepare you for working with people through various classes such as psychology and customer service. You might also be provided with the history, theory, and practical application of massage therapy techniques. If your focus is on rehabilitation, your school should cover the proper methods for medical massage.

It might surprise you that massage schools can also teach you how to operate a massage therapy business of your own. Business courses will include computer functions and usage, management, marketing, business accounting, professional ethics, and state laws and regulations.

Choose your massage school carefully and properly, though. If you are intending to become a massage therapy student, look for an accredited massage therapy school and program that has gone through the approval process. Industry approved curriculums that have received accreditation will have one or more of these organizational initials attached: COMTA, ACCSCT, ACCET, ABHES, NACCAS, or AMTA. There may be others specific to the region in which you study or intend to work. Do some research. Ask questions. A reputable school should be more than willing to discuss accreditation with you. Massage schools without a willingness to discuss accreditation, or those that do not have accreditation symbols attached to their programs, may not be worth your time, your hard-earned cash, or the certification they may offer.

Do some soul-searching to see if a course in massage therapy is right for you. Then choose your school wisely and you will be on your way to becoming the successful massage therapist you want to be.