Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

[Jimmy]

Would it be a good idea to try to practice Massage Therapy without any training? I don't think it would, but I'd like to know from people who actually do it, or study it. I am wanting to get practice in, within maybe 6 months (like start practicing in 6 months), so I can have some experience, and I will also probably do it after I join up (will be another 1 1/2 years sadly ), but I read in a Massage book, where it said the school doesn't really make you able to do it, it just shows you how, and the first 1000 hours you do it, is where you really learn.

Also, this might sound really silly but. Is strong hands a good idea? I mean, I have strong hands from farm work, but I have a grip master, for punching in boxing, and I can practice on it a lot during the day, and would it be a good idea to try working my hands more, since I would need to be able to grip good with them?

 

[Good gone girl]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Would it be a good idea to try to practice Massage Therapy without any training? I don't think it would, but I'd like to know from people who actually do it, or study it. I am wanting to get practice in, within maybe 6 months (like start practicing in 6 months), so I can have some experience, and I will also probably do it after I join up (will be another 1 1/2 years sadly ), but I read in a Massage book, where it said the school doesn't really make you able to do it, it just shows you how, and the first 1000 hours you do it, is where you really learn.

Also, this might sound really silly but. Is strong hands a good idea? I mean, I have strong hands from farm work, but I have a grip master, for punching in boxing, and I can practice on it a lot during the day, and would it be a good idea to try working my hands more, since I would need to be able to grip good with them?

Don't do it. Like the book said about massage school, "it just shows you how" - which is the important bit. Practicing professionally after graduation will help you to hone the knowledge you gained during your formal training.

Consider these questions:

How well do you know human anatomy, physiology, pathology? Do you know contraindications for common illnesses and medications such as coumadin? How do you assess for inflammation and edema? If present, how do you modify a massage session? How do you set your personal and professional boundaries with clients? Do you know how to do a thorough verbal intake and visual assessment? What are the applicable state and local laws governing the ethical practice of massage in your area? How about zoning ordinances? If your client is pregnant, how do you position them during the first, second, and third trimesters? How do you drape a client that is supine, prone, or sidelying? How do you adjust the draping appropriately so they can change positions without being exposed? How do you select a massage table and determine what height to set it at? Do you understand the uses of bolsters? How does the type of massage you do affect your choice and use of lubricant? If a client has an emotional reaction during a massage, what do you do? Do you have massage therapy liability insurance and a massage business license to practice in your area?

These are just a few of the questions which you will learn the answers to in school, and/or which you will have to answer affirmatively before you can legally practice. I have also read massage books that attempt to undermine the value of a quality massage school education. The ones I have were written by people that didn't have access to the kind of education that is now available, so they had to learn some other way. It is true that you will improve a lot by practicing on people, but that doesn't mean you should just leap into it without any training. It is possible to harm someone with massage; I have a list of major injuries caused by MTs in Minnesota over the past few years, and they include broken bones and dislocations. It's also possible to dislodge a blood clot that later results in an embolism. These were caused by trained MTs. As an untrained MT, would you know how to do any better?

Go to a good massage school for real training.

And don't worry about training your grip. If you can do farm work, your grip is strong enough already. Besides, skillful massage does not require extreme grip strength. If you just rely on your grip strength to do massage, you are at greater risk of injuring both yourself and your clients. The body requires finesse, not brute force.

 

[Pam Beasley]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, I know a lot about the human anatomy, but that's about it. I am not gonna do it, I fear hurting people, that is why I was asking. Thanks for the answer. How many years does it normally take for a degree in Massage Therapy (or license, or whatever they call it in that sort of school lol?)

 

[CK MODELE]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

While I believe Jason has some valid points, and certainly all true, I would have to disagree to an extent. I think, as long as you stick to working with healthy friends and family that you would be OK. You could probably go to an intro day at a local MT school and learn some basics that would allow you to do some very basic massage. I would caution you against doing deep tissue work, as you could bruise someone.

Just don't let anyone talk you into doing work you are uncomfortable doing, and don't try to do too much too soon.

As for the legal aspect, I would think that as long as you are doing it as a hobby, and not charging for the sessions, and not advertising yourself as an MT, and, again, sticking to family and friends, you would most likely be fine- but, some places have funny laws, so it may be in your best interest to check.

IN any case, best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

[RAWR!]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Licenses are usually given by the state.

The educational requirements to practice massage therapy can be different in each state.
You can get an idea of what is required by researching your state here:
http://www.massageregister.com/StateRequirements.asp

California for instance is currently working on their legislation. Some municipalities required as little as 100 hours I'd heard. But in general MT school is between 500-1000 hours.

In many states after you graduate from MT school you are required to take either the National Certification exam or the MBLEx.

Additionally some states are requiring you to take an exam that covers the laws of your state.

In my state for instance the requirement is 600 hours, the National Exam and an exam on the laws of my state.

There is at least one MT school in my state that I know of though, that offers an associate degree in massage therapy. This may give a person more advanced training, especially in certain modalities or information on wellness techniques that may prove useful in your career. Their core MT program is 756 hours, and their associate degree adds on an additional 468 or something like that. As you can see this would be a serious time commitment.

Some MT schools have a "please touch" program. This is often signed up for by couples or friends, is generally fairly inexpensive and teaches them to work on each other. It's a good way to "get your feet wet" with some instruction and see if you would really enjoy the field.

Clover, I don't recall you mentioning if you have ever had a professional massage. The school I attended actually Required you to get 2 professional massages before Applying for MT school. I would suggest you get them from 2 different people. So that you can see what the field is really like. If you are a male and can have a session with a male MT in your area to find out how easy or difficult it was to get his practice going in your area, all the better!

In addition to the books others have suggested you read, I suggest you read this board. All different areas, even if you can only ask questions here in this section. You will be able to learn a lot about the field and maybe pick up some "hints" in the student section... You may want to read the male practitioner section of the board at some point, to read about some of the particular issues our "brothers" face.

And when one starts to do massage, one starts working on family. With lots of feedback.
Since your family didn't seem to support this dream of you going to MT school... that might be a problem... I would even caution you about doing massage therapy on friends due to your age and the issues with minors and informed consent (for the massage). We don't want to see you getting into any legal trouble.

 

[Olivia]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

It's one thing to rub the shoulders/hands/feet of healthy friends or family for a feel good factor and another thing to practice massage therapy...
I am of Jason's school of thought that to work on people it is best to have the training/education before hand. You can easily go outside the scope of practice and work on someone who is ill or injured that may not be appropriate.
Having strong hands is not the only important factor, knowing when and how to use your strength plays a much bigger role.
Here in Canada many provinces require the full 2200-2500hr course plus exams/ceu's/insurance/license fees to work as an (R)MT.
Even just to work on friends and family... follow the advise given and look at local colleges to see if there is a short 'intrest' course that can show you techniques that will help you from injuring yourself or others. Then maybe you can have a feel for whether you want to do it full time as well.
This is a great line of work for the right person with the right training... so do a bit of reseach and see if it's thr right thing for you
KAT

 

[proud_mommy]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

It's one thing to rub the shoulders/hands/feet of healthy friends or family for a feel good factor and another thing to practice massage therapy...

True to some degree and yet so much of massage therapy is about just making people "feel good." Lots of people don't need thousands of hours of medical massage "training" to achieve this. Some just "have it" and some don't and training doesn't guarantee you'll have it after thousands of hours in class, but if you do "have it" it can often make that gift even better.

I agree that if you do want to practice massage therapy "professionally" you really do need formal training, you will need it to legitimize you in your career. Fortunately in America you don't need the hours that the Canadians put in. But if being a pro isn't in your future plans and you still want to do massage "informally" on friends and family because you feel compelled to do it don't let what anyone says stop you. There are oodles of good training DVD's just for people like you. You will probably learn a lot just by doing it (it's another way to learn) and if it makes you and the people you are" informally" working on happy there is nothing wrong with that. Many successful professionals started out this way. I seriously doubt you will maim anyone, I say this as both a long time pro MT and a teacher of MT. You may find you like it so much you really want to take to get the training and that this is the career for you. But don't be scared off of exploring it informally for yourself at your own pace and on your own terms. There is nothing wrong with that. Massage isn't always a "medical procedure." Please know that not every successful MT views it as such, there are multiple schools of thought on this subject. I'm a firm advocate of the "one size does not fit all" philosophy regarding massage both as a hobby or a vocation. "Touch" is a good thing and we always need more of it, just take it slow. Without getting into a boring "more hours" vs "less hours" debate just heed this, don't fall victim to the mystification of therapeutic touch.

 

[Somebody]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, I am not going to do it, I will read books, and study videos and such.

Question: Is it normal to listen to music while doing it? I have music that I "bop" to, and like, it makes me better at whatever I'm doing. Honestly. Home work, Boxing, Weight Lifting, whatever.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, I am not going to do it, I will read books, and study videos and such.

Question: Is it normal to listen to music while doing it? I have music that I "bop" to, and like, it makes me better at whatever I'm doing. Honestly. Home work, Boxing, Weight Lifting, whatever.

Whatever works for you friend. I wish you all the luck.

Personally I couldn't and wouldn't work without music.

 

[Navjot ss]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

It's one thing to rub the shoulders/hands/feet of healthy friends or family for a feel good factor and another thing to practice massage therapy...

But if being a pro isn't in your future plans and you still want to do massage "informally" on friends and family because you feel compelled to do it don't let what anyone says stop you. There are oodles of good training DVD's just for people like you. You will probably learn a lot just by doing it (it's another way to learn) and if it makes you and the people you are" informally" working on happy there is nothing wrong with that. Many successful professionals started out this way. I seriously doubt you will maim anyone, I say this as both a long time pro MT and a teacher of MT. You may find you like it so much you really want to take to get the training and that this is the career for you. But don't be scared off of exploring it informally for yourself at your own pace and on your own terms. There is nothing wrong with that. Massage isn't always a "medical procedure." Please know that not every successful MT views it as such, there are multiple schools of thought on this subject. I'm a firm advocate of the "one size does not fit all" philosophy regarding massage both as a hobby or a vocation. "Touch" is a good thing and we always need more of it, just take it slow. Without getting into a boring "more hours" vs "less hours" debate just heed this, don't fall victim to the mystification of therapeutic touch.

I totally agree. As long as you are not charging $, I say go for it!

 

[mpc717vc]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

I would venture to say that a significant perceneforum.xxxe of MTs (on this forum, & out in the world) started their massage training *informally* practicing on healthy family & friends. It is true for me. At 11, I learned face & scalp massage from our next door neighbor & cosmetologist, which my mom wanted me to do for her A LOT. In high school I had one friend who went to foreign exchange school in Japan & studied Judo, he showed me how to do hand & foot massage. I use the hand massage technique to this day, and was taught the same technique at BOTH massage schools I attended. Another friend of mine was living in California (at age 17) training as a massage apprentice. She gave me my first *professional* massage when I was a senior in HS, & I said "I wanna do that." She is still doing massage, been at it 15 years.

Let me tell you too, I grew up in a small town on the plains in Wyoming with very nice, but 'stuck-thinking' parents. In my early 20s, when I finally expressed my desire to learn massage... Response Mom, "Don't you want a real job?" (what is a real job, anyway :roll: ) Response Dad, "Not MY daughter!" (again :roll: ) This was in the late 1990s, by the way. IMO MTs had come a long way by this point, in gaining the public's trust and confidence in massage. And mostly, they did that through regulation & education. So, it IS pretty important to get formal training. I ended up with about 1500 hours of massage education. Is my massage any better than when I only had 300 hours? Not really, but I understand WHY I am doing things that before were only intuitive. What makes my massage better is every hour that I spend doing massage.

You have some really good advice from some very sound thinkers here, I liked this bit a lot.

Some just "have it" and some don't and training doesn't guarantee you'll have it after thousands of hours in class, but if you do "have it" it can often make that gift even better.

But don't be scared off of exploring it informally for yourself at your own pace and on your own terms. There is nothing wrong with that. Massage isn't always a "medical procedure." Please know that not every successful MT views it as such, there are multiple schools of thought on this subject. I'm a firm advocate of the "one size does not fit all" philosophy regarding massage both as a hobby or a vocation. "Touch" is a good thing and we always need more of it, just take it slow.

 

[Turtle]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Anyone can massage.
Humans have been doing it for thousands of years.

Massage "Therapy" implies (I think) that the therapist has some formal education.

So if you like to massage then by all means do it as often as you like.
There are many books out there about massage that are geared to the layperson.
Just make sure that you can find people that also like to massage so that you can GET a massage once in awhile yourself! :massage:

 

[white rabbit]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, the people I would be practicing on would be 90% sports players or weight lifters. So, I mean, I could do 4-5 a day easy, cause a lot of people here want them, but the local therapists are rather "expensive" like, I doubt it is that bad, but considering our average income here, it is.

 

[Elly]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, the people I would be practicing on would be 90% sports players or weight lifters. So, I mean, I could do 4-5 a day easy, cause a lot of people here want them, but the local therapists are rather "expensive" like, I doubt it is that bad, but considering our average income here, it is.

4-5 a day "easy" is unrealistic to start, & can even be so for a seasoned MT. This is if we are talking 60 or 90 minutes sessions, with an athletic type can usually become deep & detailed work (when you know it), 3 or more days per week. I knew a girl who worked at a Massage Envy in Houston, and her goal was to have 30 sessions per week. WHEW! Her style was definitely relaxing swedish, but she did apply moderate to deep pressure. I don't know if she even ever reached that goal (& baffled by it, personally). Before we lost touch, she was at 20 per week.

Even 4-5 spot treatments, at 15 or 30 minutes can take a toll, depending on the area, and your knowledge of proper application of techniques. Same goes with chair massage, and so on.

The things you learn in school, or from a mentor, that are more difficult to learn on your own (beyond A&P) would be: proper techniques to address specific areas, proper body mechanics to keep your body safe (making it possible to do 4-5 sessions per day), the palpation skills necessary to understand the tissues & knowlegde
of how to proceed based upon your analysis, and education on self care.

If you do gain your parent's support (or when you are able to start practicing), it really is a good idea to take it slow, listen to your own body when working, and do try to regularly receive bodywork. Your local massage school can be a great resource of affordable massage, and experiencing lots of different massage "personalities".

 

[Why So Serious?]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

When I went to massage school I was working full-time as a waitress. I had lots of voluteers and learned one good lesson during this time. One person came to me with her shoulder hurting and I did all the Rotator cuff muscles and neck muscles. She felt better right after, but the next day she called into work, so I stopped in to see her after work. Her entire arm, and neck where blown up so huge and she was in so much pain. I had massaged Bursitus and we hadn't covered it in class yet. After this incident we did, but its instances like this that keep me on top of my ceus, and makes me tell u, get the training, or don't try to fix anything until u do.

 

[equine_business]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

I think it's really important for anyone giving massage to try and have some sort of training. I've had massages by friends who meant no harm, but actually caused me a lot of pain. At minimum, a novice should learn some basic techniques from an experienced therapist, or at least you tube a couple of videos.

I had an experience where a friend (who had never given a massage) was trying to work some stress out of my shoulders and back. He rubbed it so hard, and directly on the bone that I was in extreme pain for 2 days. While massage can be very theraputic, it can also be dangerous if not practiced the right way.

 

[jadamgrd]

Practing Massage Therapy, as a Novice?

Well, the people I would be practicing on would be 90% sports players or weight lifters. So, I mean, I could do 4-5 a day easy, cause a lot of people here want them, but the local therapists are rather "expensive" like, I doubt it is that bad, but considering our average income here, it is.

It sounds as if you intend to offer "an affordable alternative" compared to those with professional training. Does that mean you intend to charge for giving massages? If so, stop right now and go back to the top of this thread. Massaging people for free is one thing, but charging for services is a whole different thing.

Let me be clear: For what you are proposing, skimming a few books and/or videos is not adequate. If you think otherwise, then you might as well say that all the professional MTs on MassagePlanetL wasted our time and money on training.

What you are proposing is tantamount to buying some car repair manuals and tools, then deciding to call yourself a mechanic. Oh, you might manage to help someone here and there, but you will never really "get it" like a trained mechanic, and you could easily damage/destroy the thing you are trying to fix. Cheaper up front, perhaps, but at what cost?

Also, let's consider the "target market" you are considering. Athletes put their bodies through more strenuous activities and have a higher risk of injury than the "average" person. In my experience, sports athletes and weightlifters often have a laundry list of chronic pain issues dating back to a litany of old injuries. If they are competitive, the bodywork they receive can have a major impact upon their ability to perform and/or recover. An untrained person should NOT be working on these people, let alone accepting pay (or any other form of compensation) for massaging them. Even basic Swedish relaxation massage may be contraindicated depending on their health status, training/competition schedule, etc. You want to jump into doing 4 or 5 per day? I wonder who'll be hurt first: you or one of them?

For your own good, please reconsider your idea. I can think of hundreds of ways it may blow up in your face, and it's not worth the risk. Yes, do some free massages for friends and family here and there, that's a great way to get a basic feel for whether this is something you really want to study. If so, go to massage school and really study it. There isn't a book or video out there that will replace a formal education experience, and why would you want to settle for less?