How to Select a Massage Therapist

This is a general guide to making sure that the care you are getting is from fully trained therapist, and not simply someone who has taken a weekend course and hung out his or her shingle.

Regulation
In Canada, the best way to tell that a therapist has been trained for a minimum of 2200 hours, is to check the associations to which he or she belongs. All members of the Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance (CMTA), or its provincial affiliates have to meet this requirement.

British Columbia and Ontario stand forward as the first provinces to examine and register therapists under their own provincial regulated healthcare legislation. There are other Canadian provinces considering similar legislation.

In Ontario, WSIB, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, auto insurance and some Extended Health Care plans cover massage treatments.

Associations
The following organizations adhere to the CMTA 2200 hour course minimum.

• Massage Therapist Association of Alberta
• Massage Therapists' Association of British Columbia
• The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC)
• Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba - (204) 254-0406
• New Brunswick Massotherapy Association Inc. - (506) 459-5788
• Newfoundland Massage Therapists' Association
• Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia - (902) 429-2190
• The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario
• Ontario Massage Therapist Association (416) 979-2010
• Prince Edward Island Massage Therapy Association - (902) 368-8140
• Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan - (306) 384-7077
• The Canadian Sport Massage Therapists Association (CSMTA)
  Candidates must be graduates of a government recognized 2200-hour curriculum-based massage therapy school, or be members of a provincial association that is affiliated with the Canadian Massage Therapist Alliance.

The following organizations set a different set of standards for their members, and you should check with them to find out what they are:

• Association of Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners - (780) 484-2010
• British Columbia Coalition of Allied Bodywork Practitioners - (604) 727-2003
• Canadian Reiki Association
• Craniosacral Therapy Association - (416) 755 7734
• Reflexology Association of Canada - (877) 722-3338
• Shiatsu Therapy Association of British Columbia - (604) 433-9495
• Shiatsu Therapists Alliance
• Shiatsu Diffusion Society - (416) 406-5493
• The Therapeutic Touch Network

You can also call:

• Ontario Massage Therapist Association Referral Service (416) 968-6487

Phone and Print Ads
If you are searching for a therapist in the phone book or a local magazine/newspaper, be aware that the following phrases would never be used by a legitimate massage therapist: beautiful girls / models, Lunchtime/noon special, discreet/confidential, discretion assured, intimate. Also, any mention of how the person looks, or "VIP rooms".

Therapists: find tools for your business or information about listing here >>

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Information on this website is for informational purposes only.
Please consult a qualified health practitioner before taking any course of action.