Career Options For Massage Therapists

Select the Massage Course that Matches your Career Goals

Relaxation Massage Therapist

Qualification Required: HLT42015 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy

Relaxation Massage is the entry-level qualification in the massage therapy industry. It generally only requires 3-4* months of study for individuals to become qualified, practicing therapists. If you are looking to learn the massage basics, or to add additional skills to an existing career; Relaxation Massage may be right for you.

Treatment Options

Relaxation massage is also known as Swedish Massage. It is typically an oil massage, where the therapist uses their hands and forearms to help clients unwind and de- stress. Swedish Massage is often combined with beauty treatments and spa services. If you are already working in the beauty industry and are wanting to expand on your massage skills, or if you are looking to enter the beauty or spa industry, Relaxation massage should be an obvious first choice.

 Career Outcomes

As Relaxation massage is the fundamental skill of massage therapy, it can allow therapists to work all around the world, in day spas, resorts, beauty clinics, cruise ships, and their own at-home businesses. Many relaxation massage therapists do set up their own home businesses treating family and friends, or providing professional care for their local community. This could be perfect for someone looking for flexible work with a friendly work-life balance. By working in spas and resorts, you have the capacity to live and work in paradise. Make no mistake, it can be hard physical work, but can be enjoyable and rewarding being able to help others.

Massage Industry

If you are interested in knowing more about the industry itself, visit our Industry Page to learn more.

Remedial Massage Therapist

Qualification Required: HLT52015 Diploma of Remedial Massage

Remedial Massage is the objective assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of the signs, symptoms and causes of biomechanical dysfunction or injury. The therapist uses specific mobilisation techniques, in order to restore normal health and function of the client.

Treatment Options

Remedial Massage therapists provide targeted, personally structured massage therapy treatments. They differ from relaxation massage in the fact that remedial massage includes a physical assessment and specifically chosen massage techniques to meet the needs of the client.

Career Outcomes

You could find a Remedial Therapist working in a clinic alongside other massage therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturist, exercise physiologists and other care providers. Thanks to the flexibility and demand for Remedial Therapists, you can also find them working in gyms alongside personal trainers, musculoskeletal therapists, myotherapists and pilates instructors. As well as within health and wellbeing, alongside nutritionists, aromatherapists, naturopaths, and beauty therapists. As you can see, a lot of opportunities exist for a Remedial Therapist, that the therapist can tailor to suit their personal interests and passions. Another common outcome for Remedial Therapists is to establish ones own business, operating a home or mobile clinic, or renting out a room in an existing business or multi-disciplinary clinic. For those already working in hospitals, aged or disability care, there exists the option to expand ones skill-set and provide services to oncology, aged and palliative care patients. Similar to Relaxation Massage Therapists, Remedial Therapists can also choose to work in resorts and holiday destinations providing massage, beauty and/or wellness treatment options to clients.

Remedial Sport Therapist

Qualification Recommended: Q Academy’s Remedial Sports Therapy Program

A Remedial Sport Therapist is a unique course developed by Q Academy. Graduates will be qualified Remedial Massage Therapists who can also provide strength & conditioning and sports training services to professional and/or recreational athletes.

Treatment Options

The Sports Therapist will have all of the deep tissue skills and knowledge of a Remedial Massage Therapist discussed above. However, with the Level 1 Strength and Conditioning qualification, it allows the therapist to write and teach strength and conditioning programs for athletes. With the sports trainer qualification, therapists can also assist with taping, ongoing preparation of the athlete, and have the ability to manage acute sports injuries. Advanced First Aid will also assist the therapist respond to and manage critical sporting accidents and injuries.

Career Outcomes

As a Sports Therapist, you are not limited to only treating athletes. The focus of your training is to provide assistance and guidance to clients who are involved in, and participate in sport. While this can include professional sportspeople and high-profile teams, there is a huge variety of sports that you could target as a speciality Sports Therapist. As a Sports Therapist you will have the skills to be able to provide Remedial Massage, and sports medicine through our Certificate III in Sports Training as well as Strength and Conditioning through our Level 1 ASCA program. This will expand your potential client base, and services beyond the normal remedial massage therapist clinical work so that you have a much broader scope for work.

Myotherapist

Pre-Requisite Study: HLT52015 Diploma of Remedial Massage

Qualification Required: 22316VIC Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy

Treatment Options

Myotherapy extends the therapist’s skill-set to provide other manual modalities such as joint mobilisation and dry needling. A myotherapist can also use taping and TENS as therapeutic tools. The biggest difference for a myotherapist is that they can provide exercise prescription for the management of musculoskeletal pain and function. This gives the myotherapist a huge variety of choice when it comes to treatment options. Many of these techniques are not as physically demanding for the therapist, compared to relaxation or remedial massage therapy, and can integrate well with other skills a myotherapist may have such as personal training, yoga, pilates or other exercise and movement approaches.

Career Outcomes

Myotherapists share very similar work environments to Remedial Massage Therapists and other healthcare providers. They will mostly work in private musculoskeletal health centres and clinics. This can include gyms, medical centres, multidisciplinary clinics, yoga studios and wellbeing centres. As a myotherapist you learn a lot more on the topic of exercise management of musculoskeletal pain and can therefore work with a much broader scope providing exercise prescription and correction.