What are the benefits of massage therapy? You get a way to relax and release stress, you can also help your body to eliminate toxins that make you sick. Massage therapy is also good for people who had injuries and it works hand in hand with those undergoing physical or occupational therapy. This also helps lower the risk of re-injuring the same injury after the initial recovery time, and this is also good for those who are highly active in sports to lower their chances for injury and to warm up before an event and to cool down after an event. This is going to be one of the fastest growing fields in the next 3 years and it takes only a year to complete and you could be making as much as a nurse since you can either go work for a spa or have your own business.
The benefits are rewarding not only to the therapist, but to the client they serve as well. This field is also rewarding because you work hand in hand with other health care professionals to create a treatment plan that helps with medicinal and therapeutic options that benefit the individual and help them to recover quickly and without much dependence on medication or other therapies letting the body heal naturally and recover at its own pace. Not everyone can be a massage therapist because if you have a criminal record involving any kind of physical violence against someone or have a conviction involving a weapon because you will have to undergo a background check and come out clean with no questionable details. If you do have some stuff going on check with your state's department of public regulation on what can pass to allow you to get a license.
Keep in mind those who are placing CMT (Certified Massage Therapist) after their name are breaking the law because you have to be licensed and just about all 50 states require by law that massage therapists are to be licensed to practice. If you catch someone advertising for massage services and they don't have LMT after their name, you can report them to the state because those who are illegally practicing massage therapy are in fact being prosecuted because any time you put your hands on someone you are risking a lot and you also have to be insured as well to back you so in case-god forbid you get sued you're covered. It's also important to keep in mind that communication with clients is very important because you play an important role of educator to explain to people what makes a massage therapist unique from other health care professionals and what their scope of practice is and what they can and cannot do. It's a rewarding field that many people should consider if they're entering a career for the first time or those looking to change careers to take their occupational needs in a different direction.