Watch this video that explains what it is like to be a professional massage therapist in Florida. You will be amazed at what you see!
For those individuals who have been contemplating becoming a licensed Florida massage therapist, now is an excellent time to explore your educational options for Lehigh Acres FL Massage Therapy Schools. The health and wellness industry, which includes massage therapy is booming! Don’t procrastinate any longer, it is time to enroll in a Lehigh Acres FL massage school and put your massage therapy career in high gear! And when you graduate from a Lehigh Acres FL massage school with your massage therapy training, the world will be your oyster!
OK, you’ve decided to become a Florida licensed massage therapist. You’ve done your homework and you’ve found out that it is a growing field with excellent job opportunities, you are able to earn a full-time salary working a part-time schedule, you pretty much get to choose when and where you want to practice massage therapy, and in your heart you know that you’ve always wanted to help people and this is your decision on how you are going to do that. So what’s standing in your way? Choosing the right massage therapy school.
[google-map location=”Lehigh Acres FL”]There are several considerations that you need to make before choosing the right Lehigh Acres FL massage therapy school. And your decision will have a long-lasting effect on the type of massage therapist that you become.
Generally speaking there are two essential categories of technique when it comes to massage therapy education and massage practice. Those two techniques are called western-style and eastern-style. Both massage therapy styles lead to relaxation and revitalization, but that’s where the similarities end. Eastern massage and western massage differ in their approach. While the eastern massage approach is from the energy point of view, western massage approach is towards the physical human body. Thus in western massage therapy you get a healing system that addresses various parts of the body. Eastern massage therapy involves healing based on energy flow and balance and tries to attain integration of energy in the human holistically.
Eastern massage uses a technique of stimulation and soothes particular points on the energy meridians of body creating effects on various parts regulated by points along the meridians. They do not use the general techniques of stroking and kneading but uses more advanced and varied techniques involving pressure, rocking, rolling and striking. All these are more vigorous than a Western massage.
Western massage promotes relaxation, circulation, motion and relieves muscle tension. Apart from the general five strokes of gliding, tapping, vibration, friction and kneading, contemporary western massage techniques include deep tissue massage, myofascial release, sports massage, soft tissue massage and trigger point therapy.
Eastern massage is more about channeling inherent energy of an individual to bring about integration of mind and body for greater level of consciousness and feeling. In combination with body work, movement therapy and breathing techniques, the body and mind are integrated through various practices like Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong.
The most popular form of western massage is the Swedish massage. When western massage is combined with body work and movement therapy, the result is a myriad of techniques like Pilates, Hellerwork, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Trager approach etc. Most of these help in controlling pains and aches as well as aids in relaxation of body.
Based on individual’s comfort level and beliefs a choice can be made between eastern and western massage, though looking from a larger perspective both of them deal with health, wellness and healing.
So when selecting a Lehigh Acres FL massage therapy school, you will want to examine the curriculum and make sure you are being trained in the technique that most appeals to you and that employers especially, are looking for when they hire massage therapists. The vast majority of the industry seems to focus on the western-style technique, but ideally you should be proficient in both western and eastern styles of massage therapy technique. So find a massage school that offers both if you can.
After curriculum, you want to make sure the massage school is well-established and has plenty of students. If a Lehigh Acres FL massage school has only a handful of students they may not be able to provide you with the services that you are expecting. Worse yet, small massage schools have a way of coming and going meaning that small massage school may go out of business without notice. Remember, all private schools are businesses and they have to operate like a business as well as a school. But don’t be misinformed, schools make business decisions ahead of educational decisions, and a struggling school will not give you the experience you are looking for.
Deciding where you want to hold a license is also a big consideration when choosing the right massage therapy school. Most states require a 500 to 600-hour approved massage therapy training program in order to qualify for your license. With that training you should be able to get your massage license and practice massage anywhere. However, there is one exception to that rule. New York! If you want to become a massage therapist in New York, you will have to attend an approved massage training program that is at least 1,000 hours in length. Not all schools offer the “New York Program” especially if you plan on training outside the state but wish to practice massage in that state. So think about where you want to work and decide accordingly.
The next “big” consideration when choosing a massage therapy school is “does the school have a clinic open to the public?” This is an important aspect to consider because you want to have real-world experience before you graduate so transitioning into the work world will be so much easier and you will be a much more valuable commodity to facility owners because they can put you to work right away earning fees and selling products. So my advice is to choose a Lehigh Acres FL massage school with a public clinic and make sure the curriculum allows you plenty of time to hone your craft.
Make sure you find the right massage school that fits your needs and goals. There are big differences among the massage therapy schools out there and you want your experience to be as positive as possible. Most massage therapy schools charge tuition in the thousands of dollars, so you want to get your money’s worth. Make sure the facility is established, modern, filled with students, has a schedule that fits your needs, has a job placement department to help graduates, and most of all, it should just feel right. And don’t forget to spend a little time observing in the classrooms and talking to existing students. It will help you make the right decision.
Here are some excellent reasons why you should consider attending a Lehigh Acres FL massage therapy school and pursue a career as a licensed Florida massage therapist.
1 – Exceptional Opportunity to “Do Good” The first duty of any health care practitioner whether it be conventional or alternative health care is to “do no harm”. Massage therapy training in Lehigh Acres FL places you in a career with unlimited opportunity to provide a therapy proven over not decades, not centuries but millennia of time tested application, and provide effective and safe treatment for a huge spectrum of ailments. Most people in Lehigh Acres FL employed or self employed in the massage industry are by nature caring and nurturing individuals. Few careers will provide the opportunity and scope to care for such a broad range of people and conditions.
2 – Growing Acceptance Insurance industries and medical providers are recommending and covering the cost of massage therapy in Lehigh Acres FL at an increasing rate. This acceptance of massage as a valid and effective treatment by the insurance and medical providers has the flow on effect of growing acceptance by the public.
3 – Growing Demand Naturally the flow on effect of this is greater demand for massage therapy services and providers. Massage therapist training in Lehigh Acres FL will avail you to an ever growing crowd of fans of the very service you provide.
4 – Growing Opportunity With growing acceptance and growing demand, is there any wonder that we are seeing an industry in need of more people to undergo massage therapy training and supply the demand. The Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2020 Edition, published by the U.S. Department of Labour Bureau of Labour Statistics, states that employment opportunities for massage therapists in Lehigh Acres FL are increasing “faster than average.”
5 – Enormous Choice for Training Anyone wishing to enroll in massage therapist training will need to find both a system of massage, and a training facility that is suitable for them, and appropriate for their tastes, their goals and their location.
• There are up to 200 different systems of massage in practice.
• There are thousands of massage training facilities across the country.
6 – Enormous Choice for Work As a trained massage therapist you will have employment opportunities in many arenas. Many however will choose to become self employed or business owners. You can have a home clinic, be a mobile therapist, or work at corporate or sports organizations. Don’t believe for a moment that any of these options don’t have enormous lucrative potential. For the real entrepreneur you can also aspire to set up a multi-discipline clinic, aligning yourself with other complementary practitioners. This is something you may have a goal to achieve down the track. For the right person the rewards would be immense.
7 – Amazing Flexibility This is kind of a summary of everything that a massage therapist career entails. In a world where choices are often in short supply, massage therapy training will place you in an industry of flexibility.
• Flexibility of the style(s) of massage you wish to practice
• The geographical location (city, state, country?) you wish to work at
• Home, clinic, corporate, sports club or mobile
• Hours of your liking, part time – full time
• Employed or self employed
• A business that can grow with you
8 – Solid Industry The last point is simply this; massage isn’t “going anywhere”. There are many industries that will simply not exist in a few years time. This has become a world of dying industries. One technology replaces another and the former dies a slow death or even vanishes overnight. Massage has been practiced and enjoyed for thousands of years and it will continue to be practiced and enjoyed for thousands of years to come. You never need to be concerned if people will still want a Lehigh Acres FL massage in 10 or 20 years time.
Bonus Tip! – Make sure you choose the Lehigh Acres FL massage therapy school that matches your personality! Are you more technical or holistic in nature? If you are more holistic, ask yourself, does the massage school offer a holistic approach to your training and have them explain it to you. (This is the MOST important question because most schools teach a one dimensional technical approach.)
You need to decide if you want a technical training experience, which teaches you how to do a technical massage which is very one dimensional or a holistic training which teaches multiple modalities and has a multi-dimensional approach.
Graduates of Lehigh Acres FL technical based massage therapy schools receive a competent knowledge of the body and learn a thorough technical approach to giving massages to their clients, but they tend to give their clients impersonal, technical massages. They simply learn how to move muscles around.
Graduates of Lehigh Acres FL holistic based massage training programs not only learn the science of massage, you will actually transform as a person which will make you a better therapist. From that foundation you can then transform your client during their massage session.
How will you transform as a person you may ask? A holistic massage therapy school teaches you from a Mind/Body/Spirit approach that is heart-centered and takes into account the entire person not simply their muscles. It’s not just what techniques you use in a massage that matter, but how you apply those techniques. The “how” involves the kind of environment you create during your session so your client feels safe and open to receive your massage.
That massage would then be called a “Mindful Massage”. Being mindful means you learn how to become calm, centered, open-hearted and fully focused on your client throughout the massage. Mindfulness also involves being “embodied.” Embodiment means you are not just in your “head” but alive and aware in your body and connected with the entire Wisdom of your Being. All of this allows you to trust your intuition to create a unique massage every time for your client instead of the same “routine.”Your clients will receive a much deeper experience from someone who is trained in the holistic approach. If you have a client that has only known the technical massage, they will be absolutely blown away by the multi-dimensional, heart centered holistic massage that you give them!
In a technical massage the massage therapist works “on” you. In a heart-centered holistic massage, the therapist works “with” you.
I have a test you can try on your self right now that illustrates the difference perfectly!
Test # 1. Take your left thumb and find a spot on your right forearm that’s sore. Press down hard on it with your thumb. How does that feel?
Test # 2. Now, take your right thumb and find a spot on your left forearm that is sore. Lightly place your thumb over that spot. Lightly. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, increase your pressure only as fast as the muscle releases under your thumb. This is called sinking in. You sink into the muscle instead of pushing on it.
Which experience did you prefer? If you picked # 1, then by all means go to a technical massage school. However, if you picked # 2, a holistic massage school would be perfect for you. I think your clients would probably pick # 2 as well.
There is no doubt that like anything, you will need to put in effort, and persistence, but be sure that for the right person, massage therapist training will lead you into an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling career. Massage Therapy Schools in Lehigh Acres FL offer something for everyone. So before deciding on becoming a Florida Licensed Massage Therapist, be smart and choose the massage school that best mirrors your personality. It will make a world of difference.
More Information On Lehigh Acres FL
[weather city=”Lehigh Acres” state=”Florida”]
[ssvideo keyword=”Massage Therapy” title=”Massage Schools in Lehigh Acres FL”]