Massage Regulations In Different Countries
Here is an article about how massage is regulated in different countries.
United Kingdom
In the UK there are no national governmental regulations related to the practice of massage therapy or commercial massage. There are a number of licensing requirements in certain jurisdictions for businesses where massage is performed.
Canada
In the provinces that
are regulated, professional massage therapists are referred to as Registered
Massage Therapists. Only four provinces in Canada regulate professional massage
therapists: British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Ontario.
Since 2012 the regulated provinces have had inter-jurisdiction standards of
competency, which are spelled out in “Inter-Jurisdiction
Competency Standards” dated 2012-06-10.
The province of Quebec
is not at this time provincially regulated. Instead massage therapists in
Quebec can get a certification with one of perhaps dozens of different
associations currently operating. Some of the better-known ones are the
Professional Association Of Specialized Massage Therapists of Quebec, which
also goes by the name of Mon Réseau Plus, representing
6,300 professional massage therapists, which include naturotherapists,
orthotherapists and others. Another association is the "Alliance Québécoise des Thérapeutes
Naturels" and
the Quebec Federation of Massage Therapists
(FMQ), but none of these are regulated by law.
Germany
Professional massage is regulated in Germany by
the federal government. Someone must complete 3,200 of practical and
theoretical training before they can be called a professional “Medizinischer
Bademeister und Masseur,” which means Spa Therapist and Medical Masseur. The
training consists of Classical and Myofascial Massage, Movement Therapy and
Exercise. They can extend their training another 12 to 18 months to become a
Physiotherapist.
During training their study includes classes on:
Dermiatry and Orthopedics, which are the most important, as well as Anatomy, Electrotherapy,
Gynecology, Psychiatry, Surgery, Podiatry and Psychology. They also receive
training in Hydrotherapy, which includes: Underwater Massage, Kneipp,
Therapeutic Washing, Steambath and Sauna.
Depending on the local collage they will also
receive special types of massage, for example: Reflex zone massage for the feet
and Thai Massage, etc. Once a trainee graduates they can treat patients, but
only under the supervision of a doctor, who is regulated by the body regulating
professional Physiotherapists. There are always legal restrictions on
advertising and the taking of an oath of confidentiality to protect the privacy
of clients.
India
The Ministry of Health
& Family Welfare’s Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani,
Siddha & Homeopathy (AYUSH) license professional massage therapists in
India as of March 1995. In India massage therapy is derived from the practice
of Ayurveda, which is an ancient medicinal system, popular around 600 BC.
In Ayurveda, massage
is practiced as an aspect of a whole range of holistic medicine, as opposed to
the various independent types of massage systems that are popular today. Siddha
massage is derived from Tamil, the practice of traditional types of medicine
practiced in south India, where massage is called “Thokkanam” and is divided up
into nine different types, one each for a specific disease.
Mexico
Massage therapists in
Mexico are called “sobadores.” They
use lotion or oil and practice a form of acupuncture mixed with faith.
Sobadores help relieve problems of the digestive tract as well as pain in the
back and knees. Many sobadores literally
work out of the bed of a truck, using only a curtain for privacy. They can
become what is called a curandero by
acquiring additional skills in holistic healing.
Prostitution is legal
in many areas of Mexico and prostitutes are legally able to promote a sexual
massage. These types of businesses are mostly confined to certain areas of a
city, like the Zona Norte in the border town of Tijuana.
New Zealand
Massage is not
regulated in New Zealand, although there are two different levels that are
registered with Massage New Zealand. This is a professional body dedicated to
massage therapy within the country, although these levels receive no
governmental recognition. Someone designated as a Registered Certified Massage
Therapist is supposed to be competent in practicing relaxation massage. A
Remedial Massage Therapist is designated for having achieved competency in
practicing orthopedic or remedial massage. Both these levels have agreed upon
minimum competencies with a minimum number of hours of training.
Thailand
Thai massage is
recognized as well as regulated by the Thai government as an aspect of
traditional Thai medicine. Thai massage is actually considered a respected type
of medical treatment in Thailand and is commonly used in the treatment of a
broad range of medical conditions and illnesses. Massage therapists, centers,
schools and practitioners are more and more being regulated in Thailand by the
country’s Ministries of Public Health and Education.
United States
As of 2012 there were 280,000 to 320,000 massage
therapists as well as students attending massage schools in the United States.
This statistic is according to the American Massage Therapy Association. In
terms of the number of accredited massage programs and schools, in 2011 there
were 300 in the U.S. Most states in the U.S. do have requirements that have to
be met in for a practitioner to call himself or herself a “massage therapist.”
In certain states and cities a license must be obtained to practice any type of
massage. But if there are no laws in a given state, a massage practitioner does
not need to have a license. But a practitioner should check the laws of any
county or local municipality to see if they have any laws that apply to massage
therapists.
Training programs for professional massage
therapists are usually 500 to 1000 hours in the U.S. Upon graduation the
student will be awarded a diploma, certificate or degree, all depending on
which school they attended. There are approximately 1,300 massage programs in
the U.S. and courses usually include kinesiology, massage techniques, anatomy
and physiology, CPR, first aid, ethical and legal issues, and business
practices. The coursework always provides for hands-on practice, usually with
other students, along with requirements for continuing education if the school
is regulated. The organization that is most prominent in working to get massage
schools in the U.S. accredited is the Commission on Massage Therapy
Accreditation (COMTA). As of August 2012 they said there were about 300 massage
schools that had been accredited by this organization.
In the United States, forty-three states plus
the District of Columbia are currently offering some form of credential to
massage professionals and those who do bodywork. This usually comes in the form
of a license, certificate or registration. In thirty-eight states plus the
District of Columbia a license is required to practice massage therapy. Being
certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage &
Bodyworks (NCTMB) will get you a license to practice massage therapy in
thirty-nine states plus the District of Columbia. This is done by rule or
statute.
The Board gives you the designation “Nationally
Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.” There are two different tests
that can be taken and you can also become certified via a portfolio process
where you document that you have had the equivalent amount of training and
experience. Only 10% to 20% of cities or counties actually regulate the massage
profession. Being certified by the NCBTMB does not give you the automatic right
to practice massage therapy in any state in the country. There could easily be
local regulations ranging from prohibiting someone from giving a massage to a
person of the opposite sex, requirements to be fingerprinted, checked for
venereal diseases by a doctor, to a prohibition on making house calls. These
are stem from the concern that someone could be selling sexual services, not
merely a massage.
Having a license to practice massage therapy is
the highest level of governmental regulation in the U.S. This keeps anyone who
does not have a license from practicing the profession or calling himself or
herself a massage therapist. Being certified means that person has met certain
educational requirements and being registered means the massage therapist has
applied and met the required training and education. A massage therapist may
very well be certified, but not have a license because the licensing
requirements change state-by-state. Often there are additional requirements
that must be met besides just attending and graduating from an accredited
school of massage therapy and the passing of a state exam.
Most certifications are local in the U.S, but as
of March 2014 there were still some states that do not have requirements to be
certified or licensed. But, this should change over time as more regulatory
agencies are popping up to govern the massage profession. At the moment, some
states do allow reciprocity so if a massage therapist who is licensed moves to
another state, they can fairly easily get a license to practice massage in
their new state. The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards came out in
2007 with a new certification exam they call the MGLEx. At the current time, 40
states plus the District of Columbia have decided to accept this exam, as well
as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
In 1997, almost twenty years ago, it was
estimated that there were 114 million visits for massage therapy in the U.S. This
has become one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine used in hospitals
throughout the country. In a one- year period, from July 2010 to July 2011
approximately 38 million American adults, (18% of the adult population) had at
least one massage. People say they have massage sessions because they’re
seeking pain relief from various injuries and other causes, for
stress-reduction, to help them relax, to rehabilitate from sports injuries, to
help with anxiety and depression and to enhance their overall health and well
being.
In a survey taken of young adults from 25 to 35
years old, 79% said they wanted massage therapy to be covered by health
insurance. Many American companies offer their employees massage, and these
companies include Allstate Insurance, Best Buy, Cisco, FedEx, Gannett
Publishing, GE, Google, HP, Home Depot, Kimberly-Clark, Texas Instruments as
well as Yahoo! Duke University Health system in 2006 opened a central where
medical disciplines were integrated with CAM disciplines like acupuncture and
massage therapy. In 2007 there were a total of 15,500 spas throughout the
United States, and 33.3% of visitors happen to be men. The number of visits to
spas was 91 million in 1999 and that rose to 136 million in 2003. This
generated $11 billion in revenue. So it’s not surprising that the job prospects
for massage therapists are expected to grow by 20% from 2010 to 2020 according
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is above average growth.
