The profession of a massage therapist is one who “treats” ailments with the help of his hands. How and where to look for a job as a massage therapist - what do you need to start, and where to start? What kind of education do they have as a massage therapist?

A massage therapist is a specialist who performs superficial mechanical effects on the human body.

The main goal of any massage therapist is to improve the patient’s well-being.

The massage therapist profession can be divided into several types:

Children's massage therapist. This specialist works with children, even infants. The main task of a children's massage therapist is to correct physiological deficiencies, perform preventive procedures, in a word, to do everything so that the baby grows up healthy.
Sports massage therapist. Sports massage is a lifesaver for many athletes. Its goal is to increase people's physical capabilities and performance, but only on condition that their health is safe.
Massage therapist-cosmetologist. This type of massage has already become quite popular in many salons; it is intended to improve a person’s appearance. It combines medical massage techniques and beauty treatments to leave you feeling relaxed, confident and attractive.

Massage therapists can help a person get rid of a number of diseases without medications, improving metabolic processes and getting rid of excess weight.

History of the profession of massage therapist

People began to influence human bodies through their hands for healing purposes quite a long time ago. These effects were observed in Assyria, Egypt, Persia, and Greece.

Detailed training in massage began in the medical and gymnastic school of Ancient China in the 6th century. BC, and if he talks about Russia, then at the end of the 19th century.

Professional holiday

Relatively recently, the Ukrainian Federation of Massage determined the date of the professional holiday of massage therapists. Now February 7 officially celebrated Massage therapist day. This holiday is designed to unite specialists from various fields in the art of massage.

Advantages and disadvantages

On the one hand, being a massage therapist is very cool:

good income;
its own clientele;
the opportunity to work not only for an employer, but also independently;
There is no need to overpay for medical education at the institute, because to become a massage therapist, courses are quite enough.

However, like any other profession, it has negative sides:

monotony tires her;
work occurs while standing, and accordingly, the load on the legs increases;
Quite a lot of competition.

But at any moment, a massage therapist can come to the aid of his loved ones by giving a massage at a time convenient for them.

Requirements for the profession

The following requirements may apply to massage therapists:

medical education;
understand anatomy and physiology;
master massage and hardware techniques;
Work experience is preferred;
have a valid certificate.

To work as a massage therapist, you must also pass a medical examination.

Job responsibilities

Responsibilities of the massage therapist:

massage, hardware procedures, wraps;
carrying out SPA procedures;
corrective programs;
therapeutic massages;
preventive massages;
rehabilitation measures;
counseling clients.

The massage therapist must keep the massage room clean and tidy at all times.

Responsibility

Typically, a massage therapist's responsibility is to:

improper performance of their duties;
offenses committed in the course of work;
caused material damage;
violation of labor discipline;
incorrect treatment of patients;
failure to comply with administration requirements.

The massage therapist is also responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the massage process.

Massage therapist's powers

The massage therapist has the right to:

obtaining the information necessary to effectively perform their duties;
making proposals to the administration regarding improving the quality of service and improving labor organization;
controlling your assistant;
taking part in conferences and other events related to this area;
improving your qualifications.

Features of the profession

Who is a massage therapist? Not at first glance, the profession of massage therapist is a fairly easy specialty. But digging deeper, you can understand that a massage therapist is not just a person doing a massage, but a specialist who takes an active part in the physical health of people.

He performs both preventive and therapeutic procedures. The main types of massage are deep and superficial, fast and slow, exciting and relaxing. All this requires deep medical knowledge, care and accuracy.

The process of a massage therapist’s work takes place in an office that must meet all sanitary standards. The specialist must work in a medical gown. The main working tool is the hands of a massage therapist, which require special training. Great emphasis is placed on personal hygiene of the skin of the hands. And during the massage, the specialist must remove rings, watches, in a word, everything that can injure patients.

Clients with different diagnoses and wishes can turn to massage therapists, so it is necessary to find an individual approach to everyone. Usually a massage therapist conducts a session not just once, but in a course, because this way the effect is much better and more noticeable.

In addition, the profession of a massage therapist is quite extraordinary, because it includes therapeutic, cosmetic and sports massage.

Professional skills and abilities

Career guidance can provide invaluable assistance in choosing a profession. But if you are already sure that you want to become a massage therapist, then you need to learn:

understand the anatomy and physiology of people;
understand the indications for medical procedures;
navigate various technical means of massage;
understand the therapeutic agents used in massage.

The massage therapist must also understand the basics of psychology, because his task is to be able to relax the client, calm him down and inspire confidence.

Personal qualities of a massage therapist

Any massage therapist should be characterized by attentiveness, accuracy, hard work and goodwill.

Both physical endurance and the ability to focus attention will come in handy.

The massage therapist must be endowed with excellent vision and strong, sensitive hands.

The profession requires balance and tact in dealing with clients, personal organization and sociability.

Massage therapist career

The profession is quite in demand and relevant today.

If a massage therapist constantly improves himself by mastering new methods and techniques of massage, then he is guaranteed career growth.

Well, if the specialist has a higher medical education, then you can safely take a leadership position or open your own business. Scientific and pedagogical activities also become available.

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Have you been eyeing the profession of massage therapist for a long time, but don’t yet know where to start and where to study? We will talk about the pros and cons of the profession, how to choose quality courses, and also how much you can earn by studying to become a massage therapist.

In this article we will tell you:

Profession massage therapist

A massage therapist is a massage specialist, most often with a medical education. By rubbing and pressing with his hands on various parts of the body, the massage therapist eliminates painful conditions and relieves his clients from most diseases.

Types of massage

There are 4 main types of massage:

Medicinal. This type of massage is considered one of the effective methods for treating various diseases and injuries. Massage is applied on or near the damaged area of the body.
Sports.It is performed to prepare an athlete to achieve great results or after various types of stress, when muscles are tired and tired for quick recovery of the body.
Children's.Recommended for children with various types of disorders, for example, with psychomotor development, with impaired muscle tone, with congenital dislocations.
Cosmetic. Used to improve the skin of the face, neck, hands, and improve skin tone. Recommended for visible aging of the skin of exposed parts of the body, for the appearance of wrinkles and swelling.

Pros and cons of working as a massage therapist

Being a massage therapist has its advantages. Here are some of them:

Good income.A classic therapeutic massage session with an experienced specialist costs from 2,000 rubles. At the beginning of your career, prices for appointments will be noticeably lower, ranging from 500-1500 rubles. At the initial stages, you can easily earn at least 30,000-45,000 rubles per month. It all depends on your mood and performance.
Flexible schedule and opportunity to work from home.There is no need to get up when the alarm goes off and run to work in the cold and cold. You can plan your own work schedule or negotiate a convenient working time for you in the salon.
Demand.The profession of massage therapist is in demand in the labor market. Many salons, clinics and sanatoriums need qualified specialists, for example, now the website hh.ru contains more than 200 job offers as a massage therapist in Moscow.

There are also disadvantages to being a massage therapist, and they are as follows:

Big competition.It is difficult for a beginner to break through to high incomes in the initial stages, because good, time-tested massage therapists are worth their weight in gold, and, therefore, many clients go to more professional specialists.
Work on the feet. Not many people can stand the whole day, so in the evening there may be swelling and pain in the legs. At first, baths with cool water, ointments that relieve heaviness, and resting with your legs elevated will help you cope with this problem.
Occupational diseases.Over time, problems with the back, wrists, fingers and shoulders may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully take care of your health. Do various exercises for problem areas, exercise and take vitamins.

How much do massage therapists earn?

The salary of a massage therapist depends on professionalism and experience. Let's do the math. An average massage session costs from 1,000–1,500 rubles. If you hire 3 people a day, devote 3–4 hours to work, your earnings will be 3,000–4,500 rubles per day. That is, per month, taking into account weekends, you will earn 60,000–90,000. It all depends on your persistence and desire to improve.

Experienced massage therapists earn from 2,000 rubles per session of a healing massage. Here, for example, is the price list for several types of massage in a spa in St. Petersburg. It is worth considering that the salon takes part of the amount.

Where to study to be a massage therapist

Unfortunately, there are many amateurs on the Internet offering to take courses for beginning massage therapists in 2-3 days and start earning money. Remember, it is impossible to teach all the basics of massage in such a short time! Most likely, the knowledge gained in these courses will be superficial. The first rule on the way to the goal: competent and high-quality training. Choose one with a good reputation, read reviews about teachers.

You can try to learn various massage techniques on your own by reading books, articles and watching videos on YouTube. But you won’t be able to earn money, because there is nothing to prove such training, and clients need confidence in the massage therapist’s qualifications. In addition, you also need confidence - during the courses you will have the opportunity to practice on models.

However, in order to pamper your loved ones with a massage, you can learn the techniques yourself. Remember that you take on the risks for the health of your loved ones.

How much do massage courses cost?

On average, prices for massage courses range from 10 thousand and above.In medical colleges, massage courses start from 15-20 thousand rubles. The duration of the courses varies from 20–40 hours for 10–20 lessons.

What subjects do you need to take to become a massage therapist?

To take a massage course, you do not need to take any school subjects. You can learn massage from scratch through specialized courses and additional education programs. It’s another matter if you are planning to enter a medical school, college or technical school for medical or nursing studies. Then upon admission you must pass biology, chemistry, Russian and mathematics.

Medical education must be mandatory when working professionally as a massage therapist!

How to get a massage therapist certificate

You can receive a massage therapist certificate after successfully completing the course. So, during the courses, first of all, they will teach you classical techniques, help you “position” your hand, and give you the basic basics of massage. This is followed by the examination process. It includes an exam in human anatomy and physiology, theory and practice. The exam task is a massage of a certain part of the body, where you will have to demonstrate to the teacher the skills you have acquired. A certificate of completion of the course is then issued.

Our expert Vyacheslav spoke in more detail about how his exam went:

We had an anatomy exam. Tickets for 3 questions: anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. The next exam is on theory: in short, they tell you problems, and you talk about ways to solve them. In the practical exam, you are asked to demonstrate certain massage techniques.

How to become a massage therapist without medical education

To legally work as a massage therapist, you must have a medical degree (see Federal Law below).

Therefore, if you plan to become a massage therapist at a professional level, you need to complete secondary vocational education in nursing or medical science. Otherwise, if you try to work for yourself without a medical education, you can get into big problems, including criminal liability.

What a massage therapist needs to know

A massage specialist needs to have a perfect knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, how massage techniques affect the body, be able to conduct a palpation examination and collect a client’s medical history.

A massage therapist must have perfect personal qualities such as:

the ability to win over clients;
patience;
friendliness;
equilibrium;
calmness;
tact;
attentiveness.

It is necessary to try to establish a trusting relationship with the client. The success of treatment depends on this.

A professional massage therapist must be able to perform all types of massage, from therapeutic to cosmetic, and choose techniques and techniques that will help the client improve their health.

What does a massage therapist need to work?

To work as a massage therapist you must purchase:

A massage table. The main working tool of a massage therapist. The effectiveness of the procedures depends on its quality.
Disposable sheets. Indispensable during the procedure. They protect the table from various oils and other cosmetics getting on it.
Massage Oil. Prevents irritation, moisturizes and softens the skin. Enhances the healing effect of massage.
First aid kit. If the patient needs help, the office should have a first aid kit with the necessary medications.

If you are going to work for yourself, then you need to rent a room for a massage room and purchase lockers, racks for necessary supplies, a hanger for guests’ clothes or a wardrobe for outerwear.

How to start working as a novice massage therapist

How can a beginner start working after completing the course? Where to look for clients? Now we will tell you about it.

Without work experience, it is difficult to get a job in a large spa salon with a good salary, but you can try your luck in smaller beauty salons.

Try to find your first clients from your circle of friends and family for a small fee. After the procedure, ask your friends to recommend you to someone. Social networks can become your assistant to promote yourself and get regular customers.

You can also look for clients by advertising your services on the Internet. For example, create a business card website, post a post about the services of a massage therapist on Instagram and VKontakte, advertise in other social networks. networks or on Avito.

Don't sit idly by. Take action! Improve yourself and give 100% during the procedure. If the client likes your work, he will come again and, perhaps, bring his friends with him.

Where to work as a massage therapist

After you have mastered the art of massage, the question will arise: “Where is the best place to work?”

At the beginning of your career, it is best to pay attention to salons, fitness clubs, etc. The advantage of working in such establishments is the constant flow of clients. You won't be left without work. But you won’t earn much at the initial stage. It all depends on the price list in the salon. In most cases, the massage therapist receives a percentage of the service he provides.

You can try working from home or renting an office. Then all the money earned, not counting rent and electricity, will be yours.

If you seriously decide to become a massage therapist, take action, practice and look for a mentor. Once you get the hang of it, you can turn your hobby into a job you love. I wish you success!

The profession of a massage therapist may not be the most necessary, but it is very useful.

Acquiring such a profession does not imply many years of study at a higher university, but a mandatory requirement is the presence of a medical education, at least a secondary specialized one. You can, of course, do without it, but in good clinics with a high reputation, a specialist without a medical education will simply not be allowed to work. Let's start finding out the pros and cons of being a massage therapist.

Pros:

First: high wages. If you don’t stop at one classic massage, but learn many varieties and learn how to perform the techniques correctly, then you can make very good money from it. The so-called “ceiling” may not be limited, since the pay per hour can be increased by 2000-3000 rubles;

Second: demand. Everyone needs a massage, both children and adults. There are many types of massage, from classical to erotic;

Third: dating. If you are a so-called extrovert, then you will undoubtedly enjoy meeting new and interesting people every time;

Fourth: private reception. The established good reputation allows you to open not just your own office, but even a small massage parlor. The main thing is to be a competent and conscientious specialist;

Fifth: schedule. Thanks to the high payment for your services, you can easily afford a working schedule of literally 4-5 hours a day.

The profession of a massage therapist is certainly interesting, and to many it may seem quite easy, but this was not the case, there are more than enough shortcomings in such a profession, let’s look at them.

Flaws:

First: training. You will have to study a lot and often. The list includes: anatomy, human physiology, and so on;

Second: consumables. Of course, it doesn’t cost much in terms of money, but purchasing even ordinary essential oils can be very inconvenient, because they run out extremely quickly;

Third: fatigue. Prepare for the fact that your hands and fingers will go numb by the end of your work shift;

Fourth: clientele. Developing a client base is not very easy; for many it takes several years;

Fifth: the client's appearance. Whatever one may say, the majority of clients do not look their best. Be it overweight men or women, and older age is also not excluded. Although beautiful and pleasing bodies cannot be ruled out;

Sixth: responsibility. One wrong move and it can cause great damage to your client. Be careful.

Do you think this profession is only available to women? But no! Men are hired for this work with great pleasure. Men are more resilient, stronger, and therefore the quality of massage is higher than that from a woman. Of course, not every girl will easily go to a man’s massage table, but will prefer a woman, but there are girls who are not afraid and then do not regret at all that they decided to turn to a man.

In order to work as a massage therapist, you need to obtain the appropriate education. Without it, you may simply harm the client and lose your job.

A massage therapist must have a medical education. If they are ready to hire you, but you do not have the appropriate knowledge, then your clients may not have a good time.

What types of massage are there:

sports massage
hygienic massage
massotherapy
cosmetic massage

Each has its own function and each requires certain knowledge.

Profession massage therapist

Massage therapist is one of the most in-demand professions nowadays. Despite this, finding a qualified specialist is not so easy. How to become a massage therapist? After all, this work requires a lot of diligence and constant improvement of your skills. And not everyone can do this.

Massage therapist education

It is widely believed that to master the profession it is enough to complete a massage course. And after them you can work, for example, the issued certificate will allow you to do cosmetic massage.

On the other hand, there is an opinion about the mandatory need for specialized medical education.

The discrepancies arose due to two points:

getting a specialized medical education is not easy, it takes a lot of time and effort, so many massage therapists would be better off if there were loopholes
The legislator calls the requirement for a massage license mandatory for “medical massage,” so beauty salons and others claim that they perform purely cosmetic manipulations.

Is it possible to become a massage therapist without medical education?

In fact, those who argue about the strict necessity of both massage courses and medical education are right. And now they have begun to pay more attention to this, in particular, all massage therapists who practice on the market have become puzzled about obtaining it in the last 3-5 years.

Many people are interested in how to become a massage therapist without medical education. ?

Answer: None. You can complete a massage course, but you will only practice on your friends and family.

Is it possible to become a massage therapist without education? - It is forbidden

The requirement for mandatory medical education is expressly stated in the regulations regarding the issuance of a license.

To confirm this conclusion, I will cite the latest documents on this issue:

Letter of Roszdravnadzor dated March 13, 2013 N 16i-243/13 “On licensing of Thai massage”, which directly states that Thai massage is the same medical massage and is subject to licensing.

According to the nomenclature of works and services in healthcare (order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia dated December 27, 2011 No. 1664n), general massage, massage of the face, neck, arms, scalp, peeling massage, foot massage, massage for spinal diseases, can only be performed when availability of a license.

Or the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Sverdlovsk Region dated June 30, 2015 in case No. A60-15107/2015, according to which the provision of massage services in the absence of a license entails administrative liability.

It is not necessary to be a doctor, i.e. finish medical school. Secondary specialized medical education, namely a medical school or college, is sufficient. For example, a paramedic or a nurse with a fresh diploma or a break in practice of no more than a year, and specialized massage courses, can work as a massage therapist.

Then it will be possible to engage in children’s and therapeutic massage, and other types of massage.

So, the fastest option to get a medical education is honey. school, specialty nurse (nurse), training 2 years 10 months full-time, or 3 years 10 months evening training. You will take massage courses there, for an additional fee, in your final year. Unfortunately, there are no options for distance learning.

Whatever it is massage therapist education, any institution is obliged to issue a state certificate.

In the future, in order not to lose the opportunity to practice massage officially, a specialist needs to improve his qualifications and learn new skills every five years.

How to become a massage therapist

Features of the work of a massage therapist

A sought-after massage therapist must have strong hands, capable of developing muscles and efficiently kneading and stroking the body.

Healthy legs are very important. This work is not easy, and sometimes you don’t manage to sit down even once during the whole day. Therefore, if you have varicose veins, sore joints, weak leg and back muscles, the profession of a massage therapist will seem very difficult to you.

The specialist must have a good understanding of physiology, anatomy and know what massage techniques will help certain parts of the body and muscles. The point is that you need to understand the nature of the disease, and which points can be affected and which cannot be touched, so as not to aggravate the patient’s problem.

This profession values friendliness and sociability. Before starting a session, it is important to talk to the person and gain their trust.

You can achieve success in this activity if you work hard, improve your knowledge and accumulate experience.

Massage: first acquaintance

You need to understand that massage can be of different types - therapeutic for medical reasons, relaxing, relaxing, sports. And accordingly, it must be done differently.

You will also have to learn new things, both classic and new massage techniques, for example hot stone massage (stone massage).

Massage is also divided into:

by force of impact on deep or superficial
by speed - fast or slow
by effect - stimulating, calming, relaxing
according to the degree of manual labor - manual or hardware
according to the massage system - European or Oriental

At the medical college you will be taught the classical school of Russian massage according to the European system. If you want an oriental school, you’ll go looking for additional courses.

To understand, the European massage system is what we are accustomed to understanding as massage.

Examples of the eastern massage system are shiatsu (Japanese massage), su-jok (Korean massage), Thai massage and other types.

Where can a massage therapist work to gain experience?

Before, how to start working for yourself, it makes sense for a future massage therapist to work for hire and practice on clients.

The main places where novice massage therapists can gain practical experience:

clinic, hospital;
fitness center, sports school;
beauty salon, bathhouse, sauna;
sanatorium, children's health center.

A competent specialist, having accumulated extensive experience, will acquire a regular clientele. Then it’s worth getting a license and starting private practice.

Massage therapist income

How much do massage therapists earn?

If a massage therapist is at the stage of developing skills through hired work, then the average prices are as follows:

A beginning massage therapist in a state medical institution receives about 15 thousand rubles.
In commercial salons, the salary is much higher and sometimes reaches 150 thousand rubles.

Much depends on the region. In big cities, earnings are higher than in small towns and villages. The qualifications of the specialist play a big role. Professional craftsmen have a wide clientele.

So, the average salary of a hired massage therapist ranges around 40 thousand rubles for the regions.

In private practice it’s easier - you regulate your own flow of clients and income.

For example, in the regions, a 40-minute back massage costs about 500 rubles in 2016. During the day, a massage therapist can comfortably receive no more than 7-8 people maximum. This is 3500 rubles per day, 20 working days.

As a result, the private practice of a massage therapist will bring about 70 thousand rubles, from which taxes, creams, rent of premises or space in a beauty salon, depreciation of the massage table, etc. must be deducted.

Details Updated: 06.11.2019 18:18 Published: 09.05.2017 14:53

A massage therapist is a specialist in mechanical effects on the surface of the body, aimed at relaxation or improving well-being.

History of the profession

Profession massage therapist arose many centuries ago, and was already in high demand. Specially trained people who knew the technique of muscle massaging lived in the palaces of the rulers.

Massage was also actively used for medicinal purposes. In the 6th century BC, medical and gymnastic schools appeared on the territory of Ancient China. According to the teaching of that time, various diseases can be healed by influencing specific points of the body.

Features of the profession

Conventionally, massage systems are divided into European and Eastern.

There are 3 types of massage:

cosmetic;
sports;
medicinal.

As a rule, the specialist chooses one of the indicated areas. Despite the fact that all massages use similar techniques (rubbing, kneading, vibration, etc.), depending on the effort applied, the final result is completely different.

Massage therapists often work with their hands. If in the process they use small brushes, vacuum jars and other devices, then such a massage is also considered manual.

Using equipment for vacuum or vibration massage requires higher qualifications.

Profession massage therapist In addition to its advantages, it is also not without its disadvantages. The advantages include decent wages, the opportunity to meet the right people and constantly improve your knowledge in this area. Over time, you manage to get regular customers, which also contributes to good earnings.

The disadvantage is the fact that some massage techniques require physical effort on the part of a specialist. In the future, this is fraught with joint diseases.

In some cases, work is associated with stress, because a massage therapist has to deal with people of different temperaments, manners and behavior.

Responsibilities

The massage therapist is a person who carefully and professionally works on the skin and muscles without affecting the joints and spine. This kind of effect is aimed at improving blood circulation and relaxation.

Additionally, responsibilities also include:

use of corrective programs;
consulting clients;
ensuring cleanliness and order in the workplace.

Important qualities

Necessary qualities that a massage therapist must have:

responsibility;
accuracy;
cleanliness;
politeness;
communication skills;
stress resistance;
endurance;
desire to learn new techniques.

Skills and knowledge

Work as a massage therapist provides knowledge of the basics of human anatomy and physiology. The specialist must study various massage techniques, using the most appropriate ones in each specific case.

When performing a hardware massage, you should know the operating features of the equipment used.

There is a misconception that becoming a professional massage therapist is quite simple, you just need to learn a few movements. In order to help a person with the help of a massage, and not cause pain or injure, you should know the features of each technique, the location of active points on the body and the optimal measure of influence on them.