Your favourite massage therapist has moved out of province or retired. You are in need of a new therapist and you need one now! Or you’ve heard about this “massage thing” but aren’t too sure if it’s for you.
How do you find a new massage therapist?
Let’s be honest. Massage therapy costs. Prices are all over the map, but it really isn’t cost effective to test drive all the therapists you come across.
What do you do? A number of people do one of two things. They go with whoever their friends suggest, which can work sometimes or they simply try to make it work with whoever their local spa/clinic hands over to them.
There’s a third way! A do it yourself way that puts you in full control. Interview them before booking with them.
Massage therapists must belong to an association before insurance companies will accept the receipts they write for their clients. These associations have directories where contact information for their members.
The Natural Health Practitioners of Canada has its directory here: https://www.nhpcanada.org/for-the-public/health-provider-directory.html
Two other places you can check out are the directories of Massage Therapy Association of Alberta (https://www.mtaalberta.com/index.php?page=121&id=) and the Remedial Therapy Association of Alberta who have a membership search right on their home page at http://www.rmta.ca.
Note added in 2020: Since this was written, the RMTA has changed its name to the Canadian Massage and Manual Osteopathic Therapists Association. Their website is now located at: https://cmmota.com
These directories give you contact info and (ideally) some idea of these practitioners specialities. From here you can narrow down the possibilities: who does relaxation massage, who does shiatsu or Thai massage, who offers a mobile service, where they were educated, etc.
Now you can contact them. That’s right. Call them. Talk on the phone or ask to meet them somewhere for a coffee.
Don’t accept whoever is pointed in your direction. Connect ahead of time. It’s cheaper.
This post originally appeared in my Google Blogger account at:https://robhodgins.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-to-find-massage-therapist.html
I moved the post here when I learned that Google intended to shut down it’s Google + service and I had concerns regarding the future of its Blogger service.