Looking for a Massage Therapist
online is like looking for a needle in the haystack. The best way to find
a massage therapist is to ask someone you know who they go to. If you
don't know anyone, then ask your physician or other health care providers for
referrals. Once you get a few names you can begin the process of choosing
who you would like to see. I have created a list of questions to ask a
potential therapist, a directory of the different
types of massage therapy and suggestions
for receiving massage that was originally intended for deep tissue massage
but really applies to all types of massage.
There are many sources and
directories, most of which are poorly organized or provide poor
content.
AMTA (American Massage Therapy
Association) Massage
locator - There are many states that use the AMTA name to be synonymous with
a highly qualified massage therapist. AMTA believes that just having their
credentials after their name ensures that the massage therapist will be
knowledgeable and will be able to provide an acceptable massage. AMTA
represents a small number of massage therapists nationwide. There are
approximately 200,000 massage therapists in the US and of that approximately
48,000 are AMTA members. That leaves quite a number of otherwise highly
qualified massage therapists to choose from.
IMA
- International Massage Association has approximately 60,000 members that
include other health care practitioners such as Yoga instructors and
estheticians.
ABMP-
Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals
www.iwantamassage.com
Started by the IMA group, but any therapist can get a listing. Great search
function, by city and state. Therapists have a separate page with
pertinent info about their practice.
East Coast Massage Therapist Association (Nova Scotia) www.eastmassage.org
