What’s the easiest and quickest way to take a mini-vacation, and feel totally rejuvenated, renewed and rewarded? Do you want a well paying job that can give this feeling to you and your clients? If so I have the perfect job for you. But before I start to tell you about it you have to have an open mind and realize this job does take some work. I’m going to tell you some of the things you might have to do, the reasons its a growing industry, places you can get this job, the wages, the amount of education you need and where to get it, the curriculum of the schools, some of the skills you need, and how to start preparing for this job now.Of course, you want to know the career I’m talking about! It’s massage therapy! I know, I know, your probably thinking so I rub someone’s back big whoop! But there’s more to massage therapy than that. There are many different things that a massage therapist must do.
First off they have to find somewhere to work and get clients, but that’s the obvious. There are also things they have to do after this, other than just massage.In an interview with Stephanie Melroy, who owns and runs The Massage Studio in Holdrege, she said to me, “A lot of high school girls are really interested in massage therapy but most of them don’t realize all the work and education that it requires. The classes that you take aren’t the easiest either. You have to take a lot of anatomy and physiology, know every bone, muscle, and nerve and they work.
” You’ll to prepare the client before the massage, which might include: applying heat, alcohol, lubricants, salt, or other rubbing compounds.Of course the massage therapist will massage the client using kneading, rubbing, and/or stroking movements. You also need to know different types of diseases and skin irritations because if they have a certain kind of disease you can’t treat them. But there are also many types of massage or therapy that they might do. This includes Hydrotherapy, Swedish massage, Sports massage, Shiatsu, Trager, Hellerwork, Polarity, Reflexology, Acupressure, Rolfing, and many more.Other than a manual massage they might also use mechanical or electrical machines as well.
A lot of them also do their own book work and scheduling. Plus he/she may wash the towels and sheets, and do other cleaning jobs, especially if they have their own business. Many reasons exist for someone to need or desire a full body massage. It is considered to be one of the oldest of all treatments used by man for healing and relaxation purposes.The ancient Hindus, Persians, and Egyptians used forms of massage for many ailments, and even Hippocrates wrote many papers that recommended the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems. From the information that I gathered, I have come to the conclusion that massage therapy is the most beneficial health aid for everyone.
Doctor D. J. Peck, Ph. D. and the Executive Director of Gateway College of Massage Therapy, says, “Physically, massage increases metabolism, improves detoxifying functions of the lymphatic system and relaxes and refreshes the muscles.Massage also assists the digestive process and improves circulation of blood to the body systems.
” (Informative paper he wrote called Massage Whole Body Health) Sharon Boilesen, the Advanced Massage Instructor at the Universal Center of Healing Arts in Omaha, says, “Massage therapy is used to relieve stress but is also widely used to help patients obtain relief from many problems including: Migraines, post injury rehabilitation, whiplash, respiratory problems, arthritis, low back pain, leg aches, and tendonitis. (Universal Center of Healing Arts Brochure) One of the directors from Gateway College of Massage Therapy in South Sioux City, Nebraska said that, “Psychologically, massage relieves stress symptoms and fatigue; it calms the nervous system, and promotes relaxation. ” (Brochure from Gateway College of Massage Therapy) Because of these things and many more, massage therapy is in a larger demand than ever before.Massage Therapy is a rapidly increasing occupation.
It was estimated by the Nebraska Board of Examiners in Massage Therapy that the number of licenses being issued increased approximately 92 percent in about two years. They also estimate there to be about 1,622,000 job openings between 1996 and 2006 in this career field.
