Want to work as massage therpist but no cert?

Question

I have experience as massage therpist but I do not have the cert to work in spa. Courses which are offered in spa school are so expensive and I have to go through the training all over again. Can anyone advise me?

Answer 1

There's a significant and meaningful difference between "certification" and "licensed."

Certification is provided through schools – you can't get it without some form of education/training/classes or the equivalent. Some school "certifies" that you have a particular number of hours of training (and, sometimes, experience). The alternative is that you may be able to find a school that will accept your experience and give you equivalent credits – but it will be for a price (of course, these schools are all for-profit companies when you look closely).

Licensing is different – in California, for instance, your massage "license" is really a form of a business license (not some kind of boards you have to pass as for law and medicine). But the catch is that many cities require you to already have some kind of certification. But look into this distinction wherever you're located – it may work in your favor.

In any case, you are going to have to lay out some money to get the credentials you need. There are ways to do this without having "to go through the training all over again" but it will cost you some money. In other words, pick your poison: going through more classes or paying some significant money (if not both).

The reason this is the way it is is easy to understand: those of us who pay for massages don't want every ding-a-ling who's ever rubbed someone's back to work on them. On the other end of the unhappy spectrum, cities don't want to encourage massage parlors that are nothing more than fronts for prostitution.

If you're serious about your profession, suck it up and take the classes, get the certification, do it the legitimate way and be proud of the hard work you've put in.

Answer 2

Certifications are up to the states. Each state has a policy/law on massage therapists. Most require certification in an effort to cut down on prostitution in massage parlors. Check your state law to see if you can do it on your own. In some cases you may be able to do this under some new age holistic massage title or something.