What can I offer my clients after massage school?

[Questionarre]

I am working on business plans for when I graduate in December from massage school. Some of the services I would like to offer in addition to swedish are sports massage, hot stone, aromatherapy, geriatrics and pregnancy massage. Can I advertise these as additional services I offer as long as I don't claim to specialize in them? Or do I have to go through individual certification courses specific to each of those modalities first?

If it is legal to do this, do any of you offer hot stone or the other modalities I mentioned without being certified? If so how is that going? Do people question your ability or did you read a lot about it first? etc...

TIA!

 

[Stella]

That may depend on the laws regarding massage in your state.

For instance it may not require that you be "certified" but if challenged, you might need to prove "compentency" and of course the best and easiest way to prove compentency is to have a piece of paper saying you're "certified."

For example, the school that I went to taught contraindications and techniques to use for pregnant clients as well as elderly. I wouldn't feel it was necessary for me to be certified in those modalities to do them.

As for aromatherapy (and this is one of my pet peeves so bear with me) if all you are doing is adding scent to your lotion, you probably don't need to be certified....however this isn't truely "aromatherapy." It's actually an insult to those who really do aromatherapy. If you have taken a class to learn how to really do aromatherapy correctly and safely then that's another story.

For hot stone massage, I took a CEU class to be certified to make sure this would be covered by under my liablity insurance. I wouldn't want to be sued for burning someone only to find out that I was SOL because my insurance didn't cover me because of the lack of certification.

You don't necessarily have to be certified to prove compentency but it certainly helps. I have learned many techniques through alternante means (videos, other therapists, books etc) and I do these techniques on my clients without hesitation. If asked I would respond that yes, I can do that but I would think twice before advertising them.

Guess this really doesn't answer your question but perhaps it gives you some things to think about.

Have you checked with whomever teaches the "law" portion in your school?? They could give you a definitive answer as to the regulations in your state.

Angie

 

[intheleast]

I've been out for a year and a half. I went to a 500 hour school so your situation might be different. The training that we received in the areas that you mentioned was adequate for a beginning therapist. It was enough to know what it was but not all that we needed to know to be able to safely and competently address the myriad of problems that clients can present.

I also asked one of my instructors about what to put on the business cards. The advice that she gave me is the same that I gave you. Don't let your alligator mouth overload your hummingbird butt! So, I put Swedish and Therapeutic Massage on my business cards. As my strengths and interests developed, I took as many CEUs as my wallet would allow. As I took more CEUs, I became more confident and competent to handle clients complaints. I didn't choose my speciality, it chose me. I suggest you do the same.

With that said, On my short front and back brochure, I did list Hot Stone therapy. A Hand and Foot ritual. And some basic reflexology. Along with a Basic massage. Guess what? Most people just want the Basic to begin with. If they want Reflexology they seek out a certified Reflexologist.

Hope that helps.

 

[Zachariah]

What does it take to become certified in Reflexology? Is it just a CEU class or a completely different certification? We will learn Reflexology in school but does that mean I'm certified in it or not?. I guess what I'm asking is if I'm taught Reflexology in school is that enough or do I need another piece of paper saying I can do it? Same goes for Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, and Neuromuscular.

 

[andypandy]

You can legally perform and advertise anything you have had training in, whether it be a few hours in class, a weekend CEU, or home study course (please check your local laws). That being said, I personally wouldn't go around telling people 'I do xyz' unless I felt confident in my ability to perform and inform someone about xyz. You may not say that you are 'certified' unless you have gone through a recognized program that offers certification for the modality you wish to become certified in and have passed all of their requirements. They will then give you a certificate and, viola' you are now 'certified'.Certification usually takes several weeks if not months of rather intensive study, and if you just want to add a few things to your routine usually isn't neccesary. Most people I know that have a certification in something are very passionate about it and want the public to know they've gone the extra mile to become as knowledgable as they can. It can also set you apart in a saturated market.

 

[zenob8687]

Thanks for the responses! They really helped and I think I will take a hot stone and aromatherapy class. As for sports massage from what I've found online since it is really modified swedish, there is not as much of a rush to get certified in that as there is the other two.

 

[peking]

This is what I would do too. I have seniors who are clients, but they are fully functioning and living on their own without special issues. If I were to focus on the geriatic population who might be living with assistance I would consider the geriatic massage certifications out there. Same with sports massage. It is more about being very knowledgable about the issues pertaining to the tissues of these special groups....what they are living with and doing with their bodies on a daily basis to help them optimize their energy and functioning through massage.

I definitely wouldn't advertise anything about aromatherapy unless I felt very informed about the essential oils and their uses and contraindications.

Good luck!!

 

[~Animal Hugger~]

Quote: I definitely wouldn't advertise anything about aromatherapy unless I felt very informed about the essential oils and their uses and contraindications.




I sooo totally agree. I worked at a spa that advertised aromatherapy or reflexology added to any service for $5. When I confronted the owner and told her not only did I not feel comfortable doing this because you cannot just 'put something in the diffuser' or 'rub their feet for an extra five minutes' to qualify for the treatment offered, but I was not knowledgable enough to perform these services in the first place. Her response was that most people don't know what they're getting and just want to feel good. Needless to say, I left that place ASAP.

 

[DrDan]

What does it take to become certified in Reflexology? Is it just a CEU class or a completely different certification? We will learn Reflexology in school but does that mean I'm certified in it or not?. I guess what I'm asking is if I'm taught Reflexology in school is that enough or do I need another piece of paper saying I can do it?

The national education standard for Reflexology is 200 hours of Reflexology-only education. This will be going up in the next few years as the National Institutes of Health pushes for a higher education in this modality.

Reflexology, like Aromatherapy, has become watered-down in the United States. Every spa these days offers a foot massage and calls it Reflexology. Which is the farthest from the truth. This modality isn't about 20 minutes of foot rubbing, there are techniques specific to the modality that are very different from massage and a one or two day class is a drop in the ocean. Unfortunately only a few States regulate Reflexology.

If your state isn't regulated it boils down to your personal ethics. If you add a drop of essential oil to your massage cream are you offering "aromatherapy"? If you massage the feet are you offering "reflexology"? If you massage a meridian point are you offering "acupuncture"? Accountability in the bodywork professions gets a little weak sometimes.

Now back to your previously scheduled post...sorry for the hijacking.

 

[bcakEs85]

I gotcha Dragonflies. So I guess the Reflexology we are taught in school is just to give us an introduction. Maybe to let us add in a few points of reflexology into our Swedish, Deep Tissue, or Shiatsu routine. I would absolutely want at LEAST the amount of hours of training the National Institute says is needed before I told anyone that I practice a certain modality.

 

[MyLoveYourLife]

Modalities

Unless there is some local legislation, anything you have been trained in from 1 hour to 50 is something you can do. That said, I wouldn't advertise anything that I did not feel comfortable doing.

As far as certification goes, it varies form provider to provider. With my hot stone class, I was told that we needed to do 10 session and send them the soap notes to get my certification. I did the 10 sessions, but they wanted them done with powder (which they taught) for a lubricant and I prefer to use oil. Rather than lie, I just plain old didn't get bother to send in my results.

Based on that, I tend to feel that some of the providers make you jump through hoops and others don't. So, I don't really see any point to certification. It looks nice on paper, but if you are good at something, that will come out without certification.