Careful consideration should be given to the style or rather modality of massage you want to study and later practice as a therapist. There is sure to be a college or a course in massage just right for you, so don't just take the first course you find. The best research is to get a massage yourself first.

Try out several therapists offering different styles and find out what type of massage you enjoy yourself. Don't be afraid to ask them questions and find out where they studied. Even better, if the college has a student clinic try a few massages there before enrolling. Most courses require students to participate in supervised massages on the public before they are awarded their diploma. The students in the clinic give a very good indication of the level of teaching provided.

Generally speaking, if you like the massage being given to you, you are going to enjoy giving it to others. Once you have found a massage style or course you want to do, see if they offer an introductory course or a short course to give it a try. Many introductory courses will be credited towards your diploma which makes it even more worthwhile.

Massage is hard work – it's physically demanding. Combine that with the mental and emotional demands you're going to work hard for your money. Colleges won't tell you, but a lot of therapists fail to make a living and there aren't as many jobs on offer as they imply, so you want to make very sure this is the career you want and you're happy to invest in a course to achieve it.

As a massage therapist with over 13 years experience I can recommend this as a financial and personal rewarding career. Make sure you choose massage as a vocation (not just a career move) and you should do very well indeed.

By PWT