Is It Really Worth It.

[donya d]

I live in Southern California and the requirements for message therapists is ridiculous. I would love to get into the field and become a message therapist however, I'm kinda off discouraged at all of the requirements. I think you can apply in Los Angles county which has over 50 cities.

But my friend said that an L.A country licence might not be good enough since every city has there own requirements. I don't understand how that can be since those cities are in L.A county. The same goes for orange county. I want to be a free lance message therapist because i love the work. But at the same time these discouraging requirements might lead me to change by career. Any thoughts would be helpful for a newbie.

 

[No Requerdo]

Hey Dude, I bet you can make this work for you. The truth is many cities in the greater Los Angeles area have some of the most lenient requirements in the country. The Los Angeles City license itself requires only 300 hours, the LA County hands on and written test, a police check and doctors note. That's really nothing compared to many other states. Some cities like Manhatten beach or Glendale require even less.

Add to that people out here are pretty hip to body work so there are lot sof potential clients roaming around. You're in the right place my friend. Which city are you planning to work in? Maybe if you are more specific I can give you some advice as I've worked this area for a long time. I know all the "ins and outs" and I'd be glad to help.

 

[boom]

Add to that people out here are pretty hip to body work so there are lot sof potential clients roaming around. You're in the right place my friend. Which city are you planning to work in? Maybe if you are more specific I can give you some advice as I've worked this area for a long time. I know all the "ins and outs" and I'd be glad to help.

As right now I'm just hoping to work in L.A county. City wise I have no idea since there is so many. I guess you have to go with the one that has the most opportunity. The school that looks the most interesting has to be concord career college in North Hollywood. Lasts around 8 months and costs 12000 and gives a Diploma. Money and time isn't an issue. But after talking to the L.A county office I got really discouraged.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Dude, check you PM box. I sent you some thoughts.

Also, why Concord? You can get the required 300 hours at the Massage School Of Santa Monica for a lot less money in a lot shorter span of time and you're taught by people that are working in the industry.

 

[leah g.]

Just an idea

It might be better if you did go to the school you mentioned. Just because it's easier the other way, doesn't make it better. Also if requirements are so lenient out there( trust me that is), then by going that extra mile right off the bat will make you stand out among other therapists.

If this is something you really want to do, step back, breathe, and just look at every step you have to take, and then just focus on one step at a time.

Good Luck, Dude!

 

[MadChuckD]

Just an idea

It might be better if you did go to the school you mentioned. Just because it's easier the other way, doesn't make it better. Also if requirements are so lenient out there( trust me that is), then by going that extra mile right off the bat will make you stand out among other therapists.

Just because it's longer/more expensive to go to the other school, doesn't make it better. What sets a massage therapist apart is not how many hours they trained, but whether they have natural ability, sincere interest in the client, emotional stability, etc.

If a person picks a longer program for the sake of some specialized training, or a particular style of bodywork, great! But to choose longer, just for the sake of having a higher number of hours on the certificate, that just seems a bit silly. It's like picking your car based upon which one has the highest MSRP, and no other criteria.

 

[SnakeHissperer]

Sorry I forgot to add that tidbit before. Thanks for reminding me. What I meant is it's worth the research to find a school that will help you be a better therapist in the end, instead of worrying how quickly you can be out in the field.

 

[broken haert]

Sorry I forgot to add that tidbit before. Thanks for reminding me. What I meant is it's worth the research to find a school that will help you be a better therapist in the end, instead of worrying how quickly you can be out in the field.

t023

Love that. t045

 

[? I Like To Dance ?]

300 hours?! That sounds crazy to me. I graduated with 975, and still felt like I could use another 500 The first 3 months was all about learning the basics of Swedish massage and practicing, as well as anatomy and kinesiology, and muscles. The next 3 was spent focused on deep tissue, more anatomy, and more kinesiology. The 6 months after that were studying the various pathologies, sites of caution, as well as clinical and internship experience.

I completely agree that length of time spent in school is no substitute for natural talent and/or sincere interest and hard work, but I could not imagine doing the work I'm doing in a chiro's office with only 300 hours of schooling under my belt. Maybe relaxation massage...but think about it....we're health care practitioners! We're working on people's bodies, and have the potential to do real harm with improper and unskilled technique!

And besides...how bad could it be? I got 975 in one year's time. How many people do you know can make the kind of money we can after one year of schooling? I have friends with 4 year degrees struggling to find jobs in their field, let alone jobs in their field that pay well! And they have 4 times the student loan debt I do!

You're worth the investment! If it's a good school, don't let length or expense (well, within reason...don't let them rip you off!) get in your way!

Natasha

 

[Itz shaquanda boo]

You had 975 hours of schooling and it didn't feel like enough to you. Trust me when I say there are people who are amazing body workers with little or no schooling at all. I see them all the time. Natural intuitive therapeutic body workers who totally rock. You are working in a chiropractor's office and I doubt you are getting paid well there. You may indeed be skilled but there are people I have encountered in the world that didn't need to study all the things you did and they are in demand working constantly and making bank. Maybe "Dude" will be one of them.

Myself, I don't rely on what I learned in anatomy of kinesiology class. I'll take a good short class taught by a working professional who knows what he's doing rather than long class filled with stuff that may or may not be applicable. Personally I rely on an innate sense of how to be effective with my natural born skills and no amount of class time can ever guarantee that. I've had massages from people with 2500 hours that really had no talent for the work. I've had body work in Italy by people who never formally studied that were amazing. Never declare absolutes lest you convince some bureaucracy that your 975 hours are not nearly enough and then you are denied the right to work regardless of your ability.

As for your concern about potential dangers I have yet to see where there is anything to it. Most people fresh out of school usually tout this line but let me tell you I'm just not buying it.

 

[Dave J]

I've had body work in Italy by people who never formally studied that were amazing.

Sounds like you have a similar experience to another poster we've had on our forum - see excerpt from Brandon Raynor thread below. By the way: that thread may also be interesting to the OP of this one.

Just wondering (since Italy seems to be in a few threads recently), does anyone know how one is trained there?

I took the time to read this thread so that I could better understand the drama surrounding this topic. A couple of thoughts:

1) I have to agree with some of what Mr. Raynor says about curriculum. I don't think a person needs 6 months of training to do this kind of work, I'm sorry, I just don't. I too think it is an art form. As to the issue of anatomy, anatomy hardly ever comes up in my work and I've been doing this for over 20 years so in my opinion it's never been an issue in making a good bodyworker. Doctors know anatomy and they don't now jack about massage. It's fine if someone does study for years but it doesn't guarantee that they'll be a great or even good bodyworker let alone a successful one.

Licensing is just bloated bureacratic BS and the bureaucrats that decide the rules don't know the first thing about massage, they just want your money and to make sure you're not a prostitute. A good massage therapist can develop with minimum training and that's just a fact. Some of the best sessions I've ever had were with people that are just born to do it and some of the worst with people who had thousands of hours of training but no "gift." One gal in Positano, Italy came to my hotel room and just blew me away. It was like being worked on by an angel. I asked about her training and she said that she hadn't ever taken a single course. This isn't brain surgery folks. I was a successful bodyworker in demand in a land teeming with bodyworkers before I ever took a single course. If Mr. Raynor says he can teach a class in a shorter period of time and people can work as a result I say more power to him. I'd like to see the whole profession de-regulated before regulations strangle the life out of it. And trust me it's already starting to happen.

 

[THE REAL DEAL SEX APPEAL]

Just wondering (since Italy seems to be in a few threads recently), does anyone know how one is trained there?

I realize this is a bit off topic but since you asked I will try to answer as best I can. I work for an organization based out of Bologna that works with spas throughout Europe to promote them, raise awareness and educate practicing spa professionals. A good many of the spas are run by medical organizations as these are the principal healing professionals that are recognized by the government and most auxillary alternative professions can work under this banner.

I don't know for sure if there is a standard of training recognized for massage therapists but I will check on that and let you know. My personal experience is that many of the people I have had work on me there on an outcall basis (Rome, Florence, Bologna) are free lancers who are often friends or relatives of the people who work in the Hotel. Their experience is varied from untrained to well trained. I have had excellent experiences with both kinds and would say that the efficacy of the provider was never guaranteed by their training but more so by their natural ability and experience. My overall impression has been that they aren't too concerned with regulations and such. I will find out about the requirements of the spas.

 

[Veronica Alicia]

Don't take this as nitpicking, but most doctors know nothing when it comes to soft tissue. One of my fav profs teaches a seminar over at a med school by us to explain massage, and says he almost always ends up having to explain what we see as simple. (ex. O's and I's, TrP, etc.)


Secondly, I know I'm new to this, but I honestly believe that it's not just innate ability nor academic knowledge that makes the best bodyworker. It's the combination thereof coupled with an attitude open to the concept of helping others heal themselves.
Also, as much as I loathe to say this, we need all that bureaucratic stuff so that those who we all agree shouldn't be working and ruining the reputation of this fine profession are less likely to be able to. We need to stand up for what we should have within our scope of practice, and most importantly we need to stand up for ourselves and proclaim we're worth it and those we help are worth it. ( steps off of soapbox, sheepishly)

 

[Evie B]

You are working in a chiropractor's office and I doubt you are getting paid well there.

Not exactly sure what my compensation has to do with anything, relative to what your "natural therapeutic body worker" is theoretically making. For that matter, I happen to feel that I'm very luck as a therapist because I do seem to have a strong intuition that some classmates and colleagues seem to lack. I agree, and already agreed that education is no substitute for a natural ability and drive. However, I also do not believe one's ego in believing in one's own natural ability is a substitute for solid knowledge and experience.

What I believe my 975 hours got me:

1.) A full year working with and around a large variety of talented and knowledgeable professionals, ready and willing to answer questions, share techniques, tell stories about their own experiences, and give advice.

2.) A full year dedicated to understanding the human body better, on a physical, emotional, and energetic level.

3.) A full year to work with other students, to experiment and learn with one another, to make mistakes in a safe and nurturing environment.

4.) A full year being exposed to different modalities and philosophies, without having to pay a $200+ fee for a continuing eduction credit.

5.) A full year of being introduced to and networking with other alternative health care practitioners, such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, and naturopaths.

6.) A full year developing intake questioning skills, SOAP charting, and post-massage interviews, so that I've yet to have a SOAP rejected for any reason, and should my SOAPS be required in a court of law, I have 100% confidence in my documenting ability.

Yes, there are naturals out there, prodigies even, who don't need a single day inside a classroom to know what to do. I don't think this is the majority, or even the norm. I guess it depends on what kind of modalities you intend to do. I would not feel comfortable doing pin & stretch, origin/insertion work, or even deep tissue without the understanding I have of muscular systems and physiological processes.

At the chiropractors, I work on people with whiplash, herniated discs, strains, sprains, scar tissue, and all kinds of other issues. If I work improperly, I can hurt them, I can set their healing process back. Are there gifted, competent, and successful therapists out there with the equivalent of 2.5 weeks under their belt? I'm sure. Would they have learned more about their craft in a longer program? Seems likely. Would it have made them better therapists? Hard to believe it would have hurt.

Especially given the push to have massage covered in more insurance policies, to convince doctor's it's a legitimate health care addition, and to prevent cities from requiring offensive processes like STD testing, MORE educational requirements seem like the direction to go, not less. I can't help but see a correlation between cities/states that have low hourly requirements for licensure, and high number of other seemingly more superfluous requirements, including difficult or embarrassing processes meant to weed out or regulate prostitutes using it as a front for their business. (And to sort of bring it all back to the original poster's issue, it was actually these processes and not the hourly requirement that he found difficult.) My State has one of the higher educational requirements in the country, and once I'd completed the educational program, it was a breeze to get my license, and a business license.

Just my two and a half cents. I've always placed a high value on (quality) education. Maybe that's a hazard of growing up as the daughter of an educator.

Natasha

 

[RAO M.K.]

jjazzsoul....exactly what I was trying to say, only much more succinct! hehe

 

[gretchen]

\Secondly, I know I'm new to this, but I honestly believe that it's not just innate ability nor academic knowledge that makes the best bodyworker. It's the combination thereof coupled with an attitude open to the concept of helping others heal themselves.

I agree with this pretty much. But again I say there are no absolutes. I have known great bodyworkers with no academic training at all. I'm certainly not "anti-training" I am just opposed to any mindset that declares there is an absolute regarding what makes a good body worker. I am also opposed to the mindset that says "X" amount of hours is required to achieve this. I would rather say each person has different requirements to get to this place and just because one person doesn't need 1000 hours of training they should be judged as "inadequate" in any way. Let them be judged by their effectiveness in maintaining a loyal client base. This is not guaranteed no matter how many hours of academic training you have.

Also, as much as I loathe to say this, we need all that bureaucratic stuff so that those who we all agree shouldn't be working and ruining the reputation of this fine profession are less likely to be able to.

Who exactly are you talking about? I don't see anyone ruining the reputation of this profession. In fact it is thriving with remarkable little bureaucracy.

We need to stand up for what we should have within our scope of practice, and most importantly we need to stand up for ourselves and proclaim we're worth it and those we help are worth it.

That's great but we certainly don't need more bureaucracy to do that. We just need to be effective at what we do and passionate about doing it. I say let each person arrive at that as they wish and discriminate against no one.

 

[Emma B]

Not exactly sure what my compensation has to do with anything, relative to what your "natural therapeutic body worker" is theoretically making.

I was referring to what you said here:

I got 975 in one year's time. How many people do you know can make the kind of money we can after one year of schooling?

The point is your education did not guarantee you a well paying job (chiro jobs are notoriously low paying) or a successful client base. This is not a put down, this is just saying that perhaps someone else might take a different path with less formal training and wind up with more immediate success, there is no template for success in this profession. I have no doubt you will do well though. You seem a natural, but should others be looked down upon if they did not log as many hours? Because trust me there are many who are downright snobbish about hours and regulations. I am opposed to this way of thinking. Always have been and always will be.

For that matter, I happen to feel that I'm very luck as a therapist because I do seem to have a strong intuition that some classmates and colleagues seem to lack.

I do not doubt that, you sound like a really gifted massage therapist. But that "intuiition" part, was that something you were born with or taught?

I agree, and already agreed that education is no substitute for a natural ability and drive. However, I also do not believe one's ego in believing in one's own natural ability is a substitute for solid knowledge and experience.

Nor should one's ego about how many hours they clocked ever be a substitute for effectiveness. Trust me this is an all too common way of thinking for some.

Natural ability can lead to solid knowledge and experience. Understand what I am saying here. You entered this thread proclaiming 300 hours woefully inadequate and yet it has been my experience that often it is not. I don't want to see someone who perhaps has less hours be discriminated against especially if they have innate ability. I'd rather see them encouraged and nutured whatever way they go. I realize you were encouraging about education but it came with a kind of put down about lesser hours. Each person has a different path, we should respect all of them and not declare one better than another. You do know that the Canadians would consider your 975 hours inadequate don't you? But it worked for you so why should you not be respected for your choices?

All I'm saying is that your training was appropriate for you, but perhaps others have a different way of getting there.

Yes, there are naturals out there, prodigies even, who don't need a single day inside a classroom to know what to do. I don't think this is the majority, or even the norm.

I don't deny this at all. But should those who do not pursue classroom hours be denied the right to work with others or not be encouraged to do what is natural for them to do? Some would deny them the right to pursue their destiny as they see fit. I say no.

I guess it depends on what kind of modalities you intend to do. I would not feel comfortable doing pin & stretch, origin/insertion work, or even deep tissue without the understanding I have of muscular systems and physiological processes.

Because that works for you. Your experience is uniquely yours. It should not dictate the paths of others. Every one is different. Some years back I had a blind gentleman fix a severe neck spasm for me. He was from another country and spoke little English. His son said he had had no formal training. What did I care, he fixed my neck.

At the chiropractors, I work on people with whiplash, herniated discs, strains, sprains, scar tissue, and all kinds of other issues. If I work improperly, I can hurt them, I can set their healing process back. Are there gifted, competent, and successful therapists out there with the equivalent of 2.5 weeks under their belt? I'm sure. Would they have learned more about their craft in a longer program? Seems likely. Would it have made them better therapists? Hard to believe it would have hurt.

True to some extent but there are just as many people with lots of training that could just as easily injure someone. There are people on this board who have told stories of such things happening. Again, I am only against absolutes that imply there is only one way of doing things.

Especially given the push to have massage covered in more insurance policies,

Talk to someone that works with insurance companies that cover massage. Talk to Stacey from BreatheBodywork. It's a push that is far from rewarding.

I can't help but see a correlation between cities/states that have low hourly requirements for licensure, and high number of other seemingly more superfluous requirements, including difficult or embarrassing processes meant to weed out or regulate prostitutes using it as a front for their business.

In California many cities require minimal training and we have lots of great people working in the industry. I think it's safe to say we have been a leader in the industry for many, many years as far as overall acceptance and awareness of the profession goes. There are many amazing body workers down here, many with minimal class hours.

My State has one of the higher educational requirements in the country, and once I'd completed the educational program, it was a breeze to get my license, and a business license.

It's also a breeze in San Francisco with only 100 hours required or Los Angeles with 300 hours.

Just my two and a half cents. I've always placed a high value on (quality) education. Maybe that's a hazard of growing up as the daughter of an educator.

Not a hazard at all. I think you're awesome. From what I've read I'd love to have someone with your passion work on me or my family. Just be careful about judging others who have taken a different path to get where you are going. Honor the uniqueness of this profession by not supporting a mindset that would discriminate against people who have a different way of doing this work. There is no one way of doing this. There is plenty of room for all. Therapeutic healing work, no matter how we chose to purse it should never be considered a crime nor any of it's genuine practitioners ostracized. That's my only real point here.

That said if you seek formal training get the best training for you. There are some great programs out there. This is a wonderful profession and a lot of fun to be a part of. Chose your own path whatever it may be.