By AnnMarie Maurer
As a longtime massage therapist and business owner, I am frequently asked questions about massage.
What are the benefits of massage? How do you find a good therapist? What kind of training do they have? How can you tell if your massage therapist is legit?
I would like to change any perception that some television programs might give that massage is only a relaxing indulgence for the very rich, or that it’s something “sketchy” to be avoided. (The latter impression is unfortunately reinforced when the only local media coverage of massage businesses is when a sketchy “massage” business is closed by the police.)
Instead, massage therapists play an important part in the treatment of injuries and disease, often referred to by physicians, physical therapists and chiropractors.
Massage is perhaps the oldest and most instinctive form of therapeutic treatment — something hurts; you touch it.
Over millennia, multiple forms of therapeutic massage modalities have developed all over the world to refine therapeutic manipulation — where to massage, how, how much pressure to use, when and when not to, what can be safely massaged and what can’t (or shouldn’t — many are unaware that massage is contraindicated/unsafe for individuals with certain conditions.)
There are many conditions whose only treatment is massage. Some of its many therapeutic benefits include increasing circulation and lymphatic flow; reducing pain; calming nerves; increasing range-of-motion for joints; reducing strictures from scar tissue and tight fascia (connective tissue) that can be putting tension on other structures (muscles, nerves and even bones), producing chronic pain; and improving athletic performance.
Another benefit that is somewhat less quantifiable but frequently even more appreciated is the mental health benefit of spending time in a peaceful and safe environment with a qualified and compassionate massage therapist whose sole job and responsibility is to safely address your discomfort.
When we were able to reopen after the COVID shutdown, one client’s comment about not being able to come in condensed what many were telling us: “I knew that massage was good for my health, but I didn’t realize that it was necessary!”
To reassure those concerned about seeing a licensed massage therapist (LMT), let’s start with some basic information about training requirements here in Oregon. LMTs are licensed by the state only after graduating from an accredited massage program that is at least 625 hours — 200 hours minimum in anatomy and physiology (what and where a body part is and how it works), kinesiology (how it moves the body), and pathology (how it can dysfunction), and 300 hours minimum in massage theory and application, clinical practice, business practices, communication and ethics. (The remaining 125 hours is extra time in the above subjects.)
Many training programs are longer (over 800 hours), with further training in more advanced massage techniques, such as deep tissue and myofascial bodywork.
After graduation, the student must pass rigorous state (and if desired, national) exams and be fingerprinted and background-checked before receiving a license. Licenses are renewed every two years, with further continuing education credits required, always including current CPR training.
Licenses are required to be publicly posted by the therapist wherever they are working, and on all their marketing materials. LMTs are required to have liability insurance.
If you are concerned about a therapist, you can go to the Oregon Board of Massage website (Oregon.gov/obmt or just search “OBMT”). The board regulates the requirements, rules and laws around practicing massage in Oregon.
You can search on the site for a general list of therapists in your area, or individuals by name or license number, and it will tell you if the license is active, restricted in any way or if there are or have been any actions against that therapist. You can find all the information above and more on the OBMT website.
If you are looking for a massage therapist, get a recommendation from a trusted source (friends or medical professionals), or look for a reputable and established massage center.
AnnMarie Maurer has been a licensed massage therapist since 1984. She owns and operates Footloose Massage Center, which is celebrating 20 years in downtown Eugene.