So, you need to see a massage therapist. Whether you’ve been told to seek massage therapy by a doctor, dentist, chiropractor, or personal trainer, or you’ve realised you need to see one yourself, it can be hard to discern quality therapeutic massage care in the sea of massage therapy options available.
We know because we’ve been there! Like regular dental checks, regular massage therapy sessions can be beneficial for the prevention of injury and promotion of general health and wellbeing, and even massage therapists need a massage therapist (after all, they can’t treat themselves).
Here’s a list of the qualities we look for in a massage therapist:
- Qualifications!
You wouldn’t want an unqualified surgeon performing surgery on you. Likewise, you don’t want an unqualified massage therapist working on your muscles and tendons. Remedial massage is a professional qualification and requires years of study and supervision and ongoing professional development. Working with an unqualified massage therapist can be a health risk, so even if you are only after a relaxation massage, finding a practitioner qualified in remedial massage will ensure your therapist is aware of the location of sensitive muscles and tendons in the body and their therapeutic applications. Confirming that your practitioner is a professional member of a massage association—for example, Massage and Myotherapy Australia—will give you peace of mind, as all therapists registered with Massage and Myotherapy Australia must comply with professional and ethical standards.
- A clean and safe work environment.
Going for a massage can be a vulnerable experience—many of us aren’t used to having strangers work on our bare skin. A qualified practitioner will be aware of the safety concerns of clients and of industry safety standards. Check your practitioners’ policies and procedures for draping (covering body parts that aren’t being worked on) and client privacy, consent, and rights. A good remedial massage therapist will be passionate about client safety and wellbeing as an integral part of their practice.
Along the same lines, cleanliness is incredibly important in all therapeutic environments. A reputable massage therapist will follow all industry-standard practices regarding cleanliness and infection control, including—but not limited to—ensuring the massage environment is clean and free of clutter, cleaning and disinfecting the massage bed between clients, ensuring all towels are single-use, and the prevention of cross-contamination when using multiple-use products such as lotions and creams.
- A Collaborative Approach.
Massage therapy can be a highly personalised practice—what works for one person, may not work for another, and we all have different pain thresholds, pressure tolerance and temperature preferences. A good massage therapist will be open and honest with communication from the beginning, ensuring you understand and consent to treatment and listening to your preferences and adjusting accordingly. They will also check in regularly before, during, and after your treatment to ensure your massage is a comfortable, positive, and healing experience.
- A Good Range of Treatments Available.
Your relationship with your massage therapist will hopefully span a lifetime. Ensuring that your massage therapist of choice offers a range of therapies to suit your present and future health needs will ensure options and continuity of care. At Transcend Health and Well-Being, we offer remedial massage, dental/TMJ massage, relaxation and aromatherapy massage, children’s massage, cupping, reflexology, reiki, meditation, and infrared sauna to suit the needs of you and your family—whether you need a remedial massage for the management of an injury or an aromatherapy relaxation massage to destress during a stressful period at work. We can even tailor your treatment plan to address certain health conditions.
Here is what Taviene Kessler, remedial massage therapist who owns and operates Healing Hands Wellbeing Centre has to say about our work:
‘As a fellow Remedial Massage Therapist, we are of course exceptionally picky about which Remedial Massage Therapists we ourselves go to! George ticks all the boxes from a therapist point of view—he is an exceptional therapist, very knowledgeable, really takes the time to listen to his client, and very thorough in his assessment and treatment! Thanks for the gold-star treatment George!’
Taviene is George’s personal Remedial Massage Therapist and a Transcend Health and Well-Being client.
Transcend Health and Well-being is incredibly passionate about the health benefits of quality massage therapy. Attributes such as remedial qualifications and certification, cleanliness, client safety and wellbeing, and breadth of treatment options are the assets we look for in our own personal massage therapists, and qualities we will always uphold in our own practice, so you know that you are getting the very best of care.
transcendhealthwellbeing.com.au 