Competition

As mentioned in the last post, colleagues in Massage Therapy may see others in the profession as threats to their practice. Therefore they didn't want to meet with me so that I could learn more about them as individuals and as practicing Massage Therapists.

If you look around the city you will probably see a lot of Massage Therapy. Maybe a Physiotherapy clinic offering a Massage Therapist on site, chair massage at the airport, a Massage Therapy only clinic, in room massages at a hotel, and maybe even a neon sign that says "Massage" and "Open" at curious hours for regular business.

"Massage" is everywhere and therefore the competition is large. However, I don't feel threatened by any of it. I know that it is only a matter of time before the competition weeds themselves out. Someone will decide that Massage Therapy is not for them, someone may practice un-ethically and they are suspended, or their neon sign gets turned off.

Since getting a massage is such a personal preference, it is really up to the individual to decide where and with whom they choose to receive treatment. The best I can do, and every Registered Massage Therapist can do is to practice morally and ethically, while continuning to educate the public about the various differences and what the client should be looking for before booking a massage. Once you have that client on your table, it is up to you to give them a professional massage to ensure they have a good impression and becomes a regular client.

In Ontario, if one is looking to have their massages covered by their health insurance plans, a Registered Massage Therapist (R.M.T) is the only one that will be able to provide them with a receipt containing their registration number and will be recognized by insurance companies. I am jumping ahead of myself, but I wanted to make it clear that the R.M.T behind a name means that the individual has gone through extensive training in theory and practical in a supervised, professional, and recognized college to complete their training and treat the public safely with the knowledge they have acquired. A Massage Therapist must also participate in a very extensive practical exam overseen by our College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) asking the Massage Therapist to demonstrate different treatment protocol for different muscle injuries or assessments of these injuries etc. This is where we become "Registered." It is a test that I studied very hard for, it was very stressful, and for those reasons I wanted to make sure I would never need to take it twice. So I did it right the first time.

A few examples of ways that competition can really affect the public perception of Massage Therapy is to list services they offer but, have not been trained or certified to actually perform. The client will be drawn to "hot stone massage", or "lymphatic drainage" only to discover mid treatment, that this person has no idea what they are doing. Clients have told me stories of "Massage Therapists" burning them with hot stones, or giving a massage claiming it is "lymphatic drainage." I don't need to tell you that this is wrong and hurts our public perception on the profession.

Much love being sent to those R.M.T.'s practicing with their hearts today :)