Massage Therapy: A Great Career Choice

First, there is an increased interest in massage therapy as an effective healing practice and second, massage therapy is one of the best rated careers that offers a relaxing environment and rewarding income.

Other great reasons people have become massage therapists: Flexible schedule, meeting interesting people, work that is active and healthy, and you help others to feel better. Becoming a massage therapist is not only one of the best things you can do for yourself, but it is a rewarding career that offers your skills to those who need it!

Massage therapy is a regulated job in most of the states in the US and most of the Canadian provinces. In states without statewide regulations for massage therapy, municipalities generally require a business license. This means not everybody can work as a massage therapist and this is for the consumers protection. Training is compulsory for getting licensed.
The required training for a massage therapist is different in North America. The minimum of training in the US is around 500 hours in most states, and in certain states the requirement goes up to 1,000 hours, such as New York and Nebraska. In a few states massage therapy is unregulated. Some provinces of Canada require as a minimum of training around 2,000 hours.
For more details, check A.M.T.A. (American Massage Therapy Association) for U.S. requirements, or the provincial regulatory Institution for Canada.
More details about Massage Regulations in Canada.
More details about Massage Regulations in USA.

In the US the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) is a national agency that accredits schools and programs for massage therapy. If you enroll in a school, check if the school is accredited by COMTA or another national agency. Enrolling in an accredited school will help you get all the credentials you need.

In Canada, Provinces have their own accreditation systems, but bridging programs exists between some provincial massage associations.