Becoming a Massage Therapist
By Kamala St. Germain

Becoming a massage therapist requires several steps. Before you enroll in a massage-therapy program, examine your reasons for choosing massage as a career. Anything achieved with the sole intention of making money soon drains energy and joy from the job. When you do what you have a passion for, you are replenished with energy through fulfillment from the job. Abundance will automatically follow. Are you passionate about touch therapy?

To help maintain that passion, choose a school that makes you feel excited and comfortable with the training. There are as many different massage styles or approaches as there are people. It is important to research schools to see which one fits your nature and your choice of styles.

One way to research schools is to visit and call a few graduates. You should also find out if the school and its schedule fit your lifestyle. Receive massages from students at as many schools as possible to compare their styles. Then make your decision for your training.

Bodywork is a highly fulfilling career that demands we become better people. For those with a passion for it, the ideal time spent with clients is a maximum of 25 hours per week and there is always an emotional remainder to be released at the end of each day. Those who do it for the money and push themselves to do more usually suffer burnout in a few years.

If you focus on a style that suits you, receive massage on a regular basis and pace your practice accordingly, then the passion will remain. Trust your own instincts and you will always be at the right place at the right time.

Kamala St. Germain, L.M.T., C.H.T., R.M.T., is the founder of DoveStar, a chain of schools of massage and alternative healing arts. Kamala is a certified yoga teacher, ACHE-certified hypnotherapy instructor, reiki master, colon hydrotherapist, astrologer, and a massage practitioner. She has taught on the collegiate level and internationally since 1964 and is the founder of Kriya Massage, an intuitive healing massage, and Alchemia Bodywork, an energy system of transformation.