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February 17, 2006

Massage Therapy and Me!

Hello, my name is Lee and this is a little about me and how I became a massage therapist.

It started a little over a year ago when I found myself located in Virginia in a massage therapy course. I�ve always had it in me to become a massage therapist, giving neck and shoulder rubs to any woman that I knew well. At that time I never did do any full body massages because it wasn�t really a thought nor was I able to. I used to get massages myself on a regular basis and enjoyed the feeling I got when I received them. It didn�t dawn on me to try and give back, at the same time I was already very busy with my career in the IT (Information Technology) field at the time.

After losing my job in the IT field back in 2004, I tried to find something else that made a good amount of money, gave me a little more freedom for myself and of course, something that I liked very much. Late December 2004 I somehow or another found out about Heritage Institute located in Falls Church, VA. The timing just felt right, being one that usually followed my gut instincts. I went to the school, enrolled, and PRESTO! I was starting a week or two prior to Christmas. After my orientation, I knew I was in the right place (as far as being enrolled in a program of some sort). Of all the things I�ve done in my life next to IT and retail, this felt like it was made for me. Giving pleasure (not sexual mind you) and doing a person�s body good appealed to me more than anything else.

The course is a 9 month course with some holidays off. My time started mid-December 2004 and was scheduled to end in early September 2005. I was determined to complete the course for personal reasons and besides, after the ordeal I went through with losing my job in the IT field (as a contractor, (which is conceivable as a massage therapist), you could be employed one minute and gone the next � I was one of those folks), I decided that I would never (once I�m established) allow someone else to control my financial life, or my life in general. Being my own boss was the biggest incentive I needed and it pushed me to succeed in school.

The course consisted of learning several different modalities (ways to massage), including common strokes like Swedish and Deep Tissue, Acupressure, Sports massage, Reiki and many others, some requiring one be certified, others not in order to be able to practice), learning about the body and all of its systems (Circulatory, Skeletal, Muscular, Integumentary (skin), Nervous, Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Immune, Respiratory, etc.) and how all of it is related, connected and works together to keep the body in what is called homeostasis (a balanced state). I wish they taught more than they did, especially when it came to preparing for the National Certification Exam. The course is 9 months long and they (Heritage) are working on implementing an Associates degree in massage therapy. The course as a whole costs about $8200. As told by one of the administrators, we learn in 9 months what other schools usually teach in about 2 years, which explains why there was some things that seemed to be missed, or at least a little more time could have been spent on them.

The one thing that has stuck in my head is the effect massage actually has. It is designed to help the body do what it�s naturally designed to do. It just happens to feel good when done correctly. We as humans rely on touch for a lot of what we experience in life. To me, touch is one of those senses that is not always thought of, but the influence it has on our everyday existence is evident in everything that we do. You can read more about that and all I have to offer on my website: www.food4thesoul.iwantamassage.com. There was no particular reason why I chose Heritage over any other. I didn�t realize how many schools there were teaching it. I just happened upon Heritage. Looking back I wish I had gone someplace else because there were some issues had by most students at Heritage, of which I�ll touch upon briefly.

The course as a whole seemed sound, according to the curriculum. The instructors were experienced and knowledgeable (as a whole), of course, there were some who made you wonder if they really knew what they were doing. I�ve always known just because you know about something doesn�t mean you are able to teach it to where someone can learn it. One thing I did like about the course was that it was short (9 months) and it gave flexible hours. Classes were available in the morning, afternoon and evening, 8:30am � 12:30pm, 1:00pm � 5:00pm, and 5:30pm � 9:30pm, respectively. It was able to fit somewhat into your existing schedule. One thing I didn�t like about it was the commute.

For me, it took me on average an hour to get there because I had to take public transportation, which meant I had to be up as early as 6:00am in order to be there by 8:30am. Another thing I didn�t like was how the school itself handled their business. It seemed more important to them to make money than to put out more than decent massage therapists, in other words, give us the ability to be able to compete with the literally thousands of therapists (certified/licensed as well as non-certified/licensed) in this area. A little stat given by one of the instructors around the middle of the course: There were 7000 therapists (reported) in the Metro area, 5000 of them alone in Virginia. That�s a lot of competition so if schools are putting out good therapists, it�s up to the school AND the individual to do what�s necessary to make themselves stand above the rest. That�s where natural talent and opportunities from the school come into affect.

The school did offer as part of the curriculum some of the other modalities but they weren�t able to go into depth with them. Exposure to what is available in the field is as far as they wanted to take it. Maybe things will be different in that respect once they finalize the Associates program. I have a strong opinion about the school and unfortunately it�s not good. I was asked by someone near the beginning of my studies if the school was really as bad as she had heard which let me know that Heritage had a bad reputation. I informed this person that yes the administration wasn�t up to par but the instructors were top notch. After being there as long as I was and being �in the know� for some things, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that is a true statement, especially with the amount of instructors leaving being more than the amount of students. We as students as a whole depended on the instructors to give us that incentive to want to do more, to learn more, about the massage therapy field. With them leaving like rats leaving a sinking ship didn�t leave a warm fuzzy, you know what I mean? At this point, I don�t like saying where I attended for fear that a prospective employer has heard the horror stories or has experienced some of their own with Heritage and won�t hire me because they believe I�m cut from the same mold.

There really hasn�t been anything funny that has happened to me when it comes to my time at Heritage. I was too focused on making sure I graduated and understood what I was doing. All of it was easy for me, it just seemed natural, but I wanted to make sure nothing was missed. That�s just how I am I guess.

Since I�ve been out, getting myself out there wasn�t an easy thing, and I quickly found out how many massage therapists (and those who call themselves massage therapists) are out there. Of course, we as therapists have to worry about the age old question of ethics and whether or not what we do is for sexual reasons. My massage sometimes has a sensual flair to it, but it�s only because I massage the way I�d like to feel. Ethically (and in some cities/states) lawfully, it�s wrong to engage with a client in that manner. As a black man in his 40�s its tough to convince people that I�m for real and take this very seriously. The only way for them to know for sure is to get them on my table. Fortunately, once I made my website, some are starting to look at me differently. Maybe they�ll come to their senses and give a new guy a try. My rates are equivalent to those with some sort of formal background. Right now finding trusting clients is the hardest thing I�ve had to do in any job field I�ve been in. I�m VERY good with people and easy going so talking to them is no problem. Getting them to feel comfortable enough to want to give me a try is another story. Time seems to stop most of them from giving me a chance.

My learning experience tells me that if I was to tell others what they needed to do in order to become successful at this is to stay focused. For most who attended the school, they really didn�t need to do it; they just wanted to do it and hence didn�t take it very seriously until the end, which was too late for some. If you are spending money on something, the only way to get it back is to garner a good work ethic. Possible clients will see (and sense) that and you could be on your way. Of course, everyone knows the best mode of communication about what therapist is good or not is word of mouth and referrals. Always remember what you put into it (and anything else in life) is what you�ll get out of it, no more, no less.

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