Minding Body

Massage therapy students are sometimes required to give out free chair massages.

Do you want a massage therapy license? Here are some steps you need to take to get one, whether the idea of becoming a massage therapist is just a passing thought or it is your lifelong passion.

1. Find massage therapy license regulations for the state you live in. If you live within the United States, massage therapy license requirements vary state-to-state. In some states (Arizona, for example) they have been regulated across the entire state. However, if you live in a state like California, massage therapy license requirements vary by city. Go here to find a list of requirements by state. To gather more up-to-date information on your state, use a search engine and enter a term such as “massage therapy license Texas” (or replace ‘Texas’ with the state you actually live in.) Sites created by your state government are the most accurate. Decide right now if you can truly commit to the hours, cost, and work necessary to complete a full program.

2. Visit a website  like this one to find nearby schools that will cater to your needs as a potential student massage therapist. You may also want to type “massage therapy schools” and the name of your city into your favorite search engine to make sure you’ve located all of your possible options. What you find will vary greatly depending on where you live. If you live in a more rural area, you will probably have to travel a bit to find the school you’re looking for. If you live in a bustling, modern metropolis such as Seattle or New York City, your main predicament will be sifting through all the available massage schools in order to find the one that suits you best.

3. Call the massage therapy school(s) you’re interested in attending to schedule an interview. Most schools will have an admissions counselor/specialist whose job it is to show you around the school and answer any questions you may have. Be aware that this person isn’t necessarily a massage therapist.  Her job is to recruit new students.

4. Ask a lot of questions at your interview, including:
-Is the school accredited?
-What types of classes will you take?
-What are the qualifications of its instructors?
-Does the school help students obtain their massage therapy licenses by providing the necessary paperwork, etc.?
-What kind of job placement assistance does the school offer?
-What is the school’s reputation?
-Do classes prepare students to take any massage therapy license-required state and/or national exams?
-What is the cost of tuition and who do you talk to regarding financial aid?

5. Choose a school and get ready to sweat. Because massage therapy is being looked at as a legitimate form of complementary and alternative health care, more and more rules are regulating it and making a massage therapy license more difficult to obtain. Expect to take in-depth anatomy courses and ethics classes. Also expect to give away a lot of free massages before you obtain your massage therapy license. Extra work is a good thing because it means that massage therapists are increasingly being respected as legitimate practitioners rather than as “masseuses” and “back rubbers”.