Massage Therapist
Massage therapists manipulate clients' muscles and soft tissues, treat sports injuries and give help to people with health issues.
Day-to-day tasks
In a typical treatment session you will:
- check the client's medical history, diet and lifestyle
- identify the client's reasons for wanting massage therapy
- plan a course of treatment
- apply pressure to areas of the body
- give advice to clients about their wellbeing
- refer clients to medical professionals when required
- create and update client records
Skills and knowledge
You will need:
- sensitivity and understanding
- excellent verbal communication skills
- active listening skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- knowledge of how the human body works
Industry Qualifications
You could take a course at college that will give you some of the skills and knowledge needed for this role. Some of these courses may be available through UCM. You may need to travel off-Island for more specific courses.
Relevant courses include:
- level 3 Diploma in Massage
- level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy
- level 3 Diploma in Complementary Therapie
You can specialise in a particular form of massage like:
- baby and infant massage
- Swedish massage
- deep tissue massage
- sports massage
You can take extra training to build these specialist skills.