What makes a good massage therapist?

Here are my tips that make a good message therapist and how they stand out from the crowd.

A common misconception about massage is that it's part of a spa day and for pamering yourself. Whilst this may be true for some, it is a tool for stress reduction and pain relief.

A good massage therapist is focused on your health and wellbeing first and foremost. Here's my tips in working out whether your message therapist has your best interests at heart.

Before the massage – Smooth booking process

The booking and confirmation process should be smooth, easy and stress free. A good massage therapist will provide an overview of the appointment and provide you with enough information that makes you feel at ease and comfortable about what to expect at the appointment. You should be looking forward to the appointment.

At the clinic – Clean and inviting atmosphere

You should be welcomed and walk into an environment that creates a sense of calm and relaxation. A massage also engages your senses so the environment should be clean, have enough space for you to get ready, a massage table plus include soothing music, aromatherapy scents and massage oils.

Listening - Invested in your health

Good massage therapists are good listeners. They should provide their clients with education regarding their health and wellbeing as well as providing massage therapy to improve mobility, flexibility, reduce pain. A good massage therapist will listen to your body responses to pain, stress etc and modify to suit. They will also set the scene and describe the process particularly if they are about to apply pressure as each client has their own 'pain scale'.

You should also be provided with post-massage tips as it will allow you to make adjustments to your day-to-day environment to prevent future injury, strain and pain.

Professionalism & Empathic Approach

A good massage therapist displays a high level of professionalism. The ability to build relationships, display empathy and make their clients a priority is fundamental and will help set them apart.

Your massage therapist should be confident to develop a long-lasting professional relationship with you to improve your health and wellbeing.

Great massage skills

A good massage therapist does their best work when they are massaging you. They will relax and melt away aches whilst checking throughout the massage on the level of pressure applied and pain threshold. They will innately hone in on areas that need more focus to provide you with the best possible outcome.

Ongoing training and professional development

Ongoing training and professional development makes a good massage therapist a great one. It only shows that the massage therapist as a thirst for learning and knowledge which will only benefit their clients.

A skilled massage therapist will incorporate all these based on your individual needs and work with you to take charge of your health and wellbeing.