Massage Therapy School: Learning Your Healing Niche
Massage therapy schools teach students to provide a healing touch in an industry that can't be automated or digitized. Before enrolling in a massage therapy school, it's important to consider your career goals and the types of clients you want to treat.
Here are some helpful ways to choose massage therapy school courses and options.
The Entrepreneurial Touch
If your career goals include operating an independent massage therapy studio and/or working as an independent contractor for private clients and events, learning how to run a business can help you succeed.
Advertising: most massage therapy schools recognize the role that online advertising plays in the massage therapy industry. If you're looking to "become your own boss", you need to learn how to market yourself online. From creating social media posts to targeting advertisements for specific audiences and markets, massage therapy schools will often bring successful massage therapists into the classroom to explain to students what works in the business world. In addition to guest lecturing, many massage therapy schools facilitate internships and partnerships with recent graduates to help make your entrepreneurial aspirations a reality.
Finance: running a massage therapy business can be overwhelming. Massage therapy schools can give you a crash course on topics like tax liability, insurance, staffing, payroll, and securing loans. Because these business topics will be approached from a massage therapy perspective, the skills you learn will directly translate when you graduate.
A Refined Touch
Figuring out the types of clients you want to treat can help you narrow down the courses you want to take in massage therapy school. Once you figure out the types of clients you want to treat, you can work on getting the certifications you need to administer specific massage therapy treatments.
Clinical: if you want to work with patients recovering from medical procedures like surgeries and serious health complications, you need to be certified to operate in clinical settings. Although clinical certifications can vary from state to state, you will likely need to take massage therapy school courses involving rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Athletes: whether you're looking to work with professional, college, or recreational athletes, you might need an array of certifications to deliver massage therapy treatments. For instance, if you want to administer cupping therapy, you will need to obtain a certification for cupping and dermal modality releases.
Spa: if you want to work with a variety of patients in a more relaxed setting, you might need to acquire certifications for administering deep tissue massages, aromatherapy, or acupuncture.