Monday, October 20, 2008

Five Styles of Massage Therapy

Within the province of Ontario there are a number of recognized kinds of massage therapy. If we had to create a list of the five popular and profitable from a massage therapists point of view what would make the list? Here are the five in no particular order.

1. Sports Massage

Considered one of the fastest growing areas of Massage in Ontario and Canada as a whole, sports massage focus' on training for athletic performance and recovery. This type of massage isn't limited to the pro's however, many athletes across the province, whether they be professional hockey players or weekend golfers, can benefit sports massage.

2. Relaxation and Stress Reduction Massage

This would have to still be considered the most popular massage in the province. This type of massage is practiced at spas, resorts, client's homes and business offices. You could also consider this a wellness massage.

3. Pamper Massage

A relative to relaxation and stress reduction massage, a pamper massage is typically given in a spa, beauty salon or in a private home. The tools usually include various oils, light music, salts, etc. This differs from stress reduction in the sense that more emphasis is placed upon "new age" techniques and ambiance.

4. Chiropractic Adjunct Massage

A highly coveted position with the massage therapy community due to the high level of pay, therapists can work together with chiropractic offices and give body part specific massages. Usually the chiropractor will give the massage therapist a sheet outlining where and for what duration a massage should be given to a patient.

5. Medical Massage

Medical Massage deals with working with pain, pathologies and injury recovery. While it this type is named "medical massage" many of the techniques can be carried over and adopted for use with non-medical clients. Typically medical massages are given by order of a prescription, in a physiotherapy office, retirement/care home or in a hospital.

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