Hi New Member would like some massage advice please

Hi Gary and welcome to Healthypages!

I am a man working in the massage industry, it's a second career for me having previously worked in the Computer/Electronics indistry for 30 years. So you can see it's never too late to change.

You have lots of choices available to you, and it's important that you find out what's available. Like all careers there are a number of levels from massage therapist through to sports therapist, physio therapist or osteopath. As you train, you'll be able to work out what level suits you best.

IMO there are 3 main career paths for massage therapists, but there is no reason why you can't mix and match:

- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
- Sports
- Spa & Beauty

Many therapist start on one path and then move to another, so there's no hard and fast rules. I started more on the CAM side and have moved over to the beauty side while doing remedial massage.

When looking for a course I believe it's best to aim high and get the best quality qualifications you can. There are moves in the industry towards more regualation and standards and it's therefore important to take qualifications that conform to National Occupational Standards (NOS). Many start with Swedish/Holistic massage because it's good foundation to start in the industry and enables you to enter higher courses. Although with the right accademic background there's not reason why you can't start your path at the Higher Education level if you prefer.

As for salaries, it's very much "how long is a piece of string". It's true that a large proportion of massage therapist don't make a living out of it, and they need to broaden their skill base. But on the other hand with the right skills you can earn a very good living.

HTH,
Myarka.

hi there,
some of this is going to be a negative response to your posting unfortunately, but I have heard nothing but bad press about the school you are looking at training with, not just from students, but also therapists that worked at the centre, and also tutors who have left, every single one of them, on bad terms.

I also have a colleague that did a training course there, who said it was the worst he had ever attended. If you search on these forums im sure I have seen other comments about this school.

In answer to your other questions, if you are looking at solely doing a massage course, then I think its unlikely that you will be earning an income for a long time as there are so many 'body/swedish' massage therapists around, all offering the same thing, usually at around £15 to £20 per hour (in my area), which IMO has completely devalued the profession, although feedback I get is that its usually the worst £15 someone has spent.

I work with remedial techniques, and it has taken me around 2 years to build up a completely sustainable business, and im based in a city centre. I now do between 30 and 40 clients per week, depending on what else I am doing, but its never less than 30. Of these clients I do very little 'massage', as in full body massage, they are mainly injury treatments, back pain, postural problems etc, none of which is covered on a body massage course. I charge £45 for a session, and clients are only too happy to pay it.

If you are looking at earning a living from massage, I would strongly recommend a sport & remedial course, as this really opens up the scope of your practice, which in turn increases your earning potential.

As for male massage therapists, there are plenty around.

Aim for the best qualification that you can because some courses will not be recognised when certain standards need to be attained to become members of certain regulatory bodies. This is currently under discusson but will affect you in the future. I would just check that you can get insurance before you hand over any money for the course that you want to do.
Be wary of any course that takes only a few days, how can you learn massage and then practice after a few days.
Any course you want to do, ask people on here if they have done it and what they thought of it. Word of mouth is usually a good reference.

I did the basic anatomy and pysiology ITEC course and swedish massage (ITEC). It was brilliant and allows me to practice a basic massage. However if i was going to specialize in this i wouold go on and then do a specialist massage course for injuries, sports massage etc and then more courses on top. This is what several of my friends have done. I have taken the holistic path and now do aromatherapy massage, for relaxation and specific conditions.

The ITEC course is recognised worldwide and quite thorough. There are twenty case studies but you practise until it comes out your ears!!!!!. Have you contacted the massage therapists council/regulatory body, can niot remember there full title, google it to find or maybe someone on here can help. Good luck with what ever you decide to to. I wish i had learnt it years ago, just for my friends/family alone let alone the fact that i also make money from it and enjoy it too!

Aim for the best qualification that you can because some courses will not be recognised when certain standards need to be attained to become members of certain regulatory bodies. This is currently under discusson but will affect you in the future. I would just check that you can get insurance before you hand over any money for the course that you want to do.
Be wary of any course that takes only a few days, how can you learn massage and then practice after a few days.
Any course you want to do, ask people on here if they have done it and what they thought of it. Word of mouth is usually a good reference.

I did the basic anatomy and pysiology ITEC course and swedish massage (ITEC). It was brilliant and allows me to practice a basic massage. However if i was going to specialize in this i wouold go on and then do a specialist massage course for injuries, sports massage etc and then more courses on top. This is what several of my friends have done. I have taken the holistic path and now do aromatherapy massage, for relaxation and specific conditions.

The ITEC course is recognised worldwide and quite thorough. There are twenty case studies but you practise until it comes out your ears!!!!!. Have you contacted the massage therapists council/regulatory body, can niot remember there full title, google it to find or maybe someone on here can help. Good luck with what ever you decide to to. I wish i had learnt it years ago, just for my friends/family alone let alone the fact that i also make money from it and enjoy it too!

I totally agree with everything you have recommended Jane, especially with the comment about aiming for the best qualification you can, but have to point out that ITEC, whilst it may have 'international' in the title is NOT recognised worldwide.

Wow thank you so much guys for the very usefull information you have gave me, this is a fantastic forum. 🙂

In answer to your question about the Manchester school of massage, ive already paid the deposit over the phone but ill be happy to lose the deposit as after what ive read on here now i wont be goin there.

As for what you said fasciaman, yes i was looking at the field of injury massage, i know very little at this stage but that type of work does interest me more than others
for the sport & remedial course you mentioned shall i look for this course now or should i do a basic massage course first to get myself aware of the field i want to get into.

Can anyone recommend a starter course or the sport & remedial course based in the manchester area

And as for employment once ive completed the course, how hard is it to find a placement of work and is there a demand for people with this qualification

sorry for the long bore of questions 🙂

There is another one I wouldn't recommend in that area. But, we'll see if it comes up and I'll PM you as appropriate!! ;0)

Try looking at the northern institute of massage in bury http://www.nim.co.uk/ , you will learn everything you need to and more with them, they are not cheep but you do often get what you pay for 😉