Friday, February 20, 2009

Selecting Available Massage Therapy Class Options

By Janette Lindz

Massage therapy is not just a wonderful way to help people kick back and relax their tense muscles. Massage therapy is also a healing art that can help people live normal, better and more comfortable lives. If you are more than just a client or a fan of massage therapy, then you should consider the different massage therapy class options.

Career Opportunities

People enroll in massage therapy classes for different reasons. There are many people who want to enter a massage therapy class for personal reasons. Some are just curious while others would like to learn how to better achieve relaxing and bonding moments with loved ones. There are however quite a lot of people who are interested in massage therapy class options because of the wealth of career opportunities massage therapy can provide. More and more Americans are simply growing conscious of their health and studies show that massage therapy is the perfect answer for a variety of conditions.

As a graduate of a massage therapy class course, you can put up your own facility or you can work in clinics, hospitals, spas, sports centers, cruise ships, nursing homes, companies, resorts, fitness clubs and health centers. Even without your own clinic or facility, you can still hope to earn a minimum $10-$15 for an hour's work. That's not bad at all.

Informal Class

Not all massage therapy class courses are the same. Most of us know that there are now numerous schools that specialize in massage therapy class courses. But before you decide to make a career out of massage therapy, you could at least try out a few informal sessions just to see if you like the job.

Ask around in various health centers and community organizations and medical colleges about any offerings of an introductory class on massage therapy. An introductory massage therapy class would typically give you an idea of how massage therapy began and what various techniques are there. Some classes will also give you an overview of various muscular and health problems that can be treated with massage. Of course, you will also learn the most basic massage forms and movements and when they should be used.

Formal School

Again, several schools have different offerings of massage therapy class options. Not all schools are the same though. Different schools offer different subjects, different class hours and training hours. You may have to meticulously check a school's program and curriculum before enrolling.

Find out if the massage therapy school's curriculum can provide you with the right number of hours and the proper training for the board exam. A serious practitioner should take the board exam. Some schools will clearly provide details on how their program can prepare you for the board exam. It would be a good idea though to check state regulations first so you can see for yourself if a school is good enough.

Keep in mind, however, that when you enroll in a formal and structured massage therapy class courses, you can expect to learn more than just the many different kinds of massages. In a formal massage therapy class course, you will also be taught pathology, medicine and business. This last aspect is crucial in any good curriculum because it is necessary to enable future practitioners to build lucrative businesses. - 15437

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