Get Your Career Started: Massage Therapy Training

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By AJ Fanter

There's great news for those considering massage therapy training. According to the American Massage Therapy Association's 2004 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey, since 1997 there has been a 13-percent increase in the number of adults who had received a massage in the past 12 months.

Changing Perception of Massage

Long before certified massage therapy training, back before the industry was regulated or therapists needed licenses, a "massage" was seen as a questionable activity that took place in questionable sections of town. Having come into its own after regulation, state certification, and licensing, people are recognizing the positive benefits massage therapy provides. In the past a professional massage then was seen as something only professional athletes or the very wealthy could afford. But times have changed. Massage therapy is now widely available and it's making life less painful and less stressful for many these days.

Growth of Massage Therapy

According to a recent survey by the American Massage Therapy Association, 21 percent of those asked had received a massage at one point during the past year and 32 percent reported having had a massage in the prior 5 years. In addition, more people are turning to massage to help them manage, reduce, or relieve pain. In fact, 90 percent of those surveyed recognized that massage could be beneficial in reducing pain, and nearly half of those, fully 49 percent, had sought out a massage therapist to help them reduce their pain.

Massage Therapy Training

If helping others de-stress and reduce pain sounds like something you'd like to do, then you should consider a career in massage therapy. Most massage therapists work for themselves; however, some work in nursing homes, physicians' offices, hospitals, and group office settings. In order to become a massage therapist you will need to complete massage therapy training to receive your license and become a certified massage therapist.

About the Author
Amy Fanter is a freelance writer. She holds a B.A. in English from Colby College.