How to Become a Remedial Massage Therapist: A Career Guide and Tips for Success

As the world becomes more mindful of the benefits of natural therapies, disciplines like remedial massage are booming. Natural treatments like these provide patients with drug-free support to manage pain, injury, and rehabilitation. And just as significantly, it provides a meaningful and rewarding career choice.

Researching how to become a remedial massage therapist? With a rising demand for natural therapies and a 20% future growth predicted for massage therapists, there’s never been a better time to discover this career.

As a remedial massage therapist, you can have a tangible impact on the health and well-being of your clients. This article will explore your career options, the role, and the study and training you can pursue with Demi International to become a qualified remedial massage therapist.

What is remedial massage? 

Remedial massage is a therapy focused on treating specific injuries and chronic conditions. A remedial massage therapist’s expertly trained healing hands can alleviate tension, manage chronic pain and help melt away built-up stress.

As a complementary therapy, remedial massage is respected and recommended as a preventative pathway for reducing chronic disease and improving overall health outcomes by leading healthcare bodies, including the World Health Organisation and Queensland Health. As a trained therapist, you can make a significant difference in your client’s quality of life.

What makes remedial massage therapy different?

In contrast to other forms of massage therapies, like relaxation or deep tissue massage, remedial massage focuses on specific goals and outcomes rather than relaxation alone.

Trained remedial massage therapists work with patients to identify areas of concern and create an individualised treatment plan. Once in place, they use various techniques to manipulate soft tissue, including muscles and tendons, and support postural and muscle imbalances that may contribute to poor function and reduced quality of life.

Learning how to become a remedial massage therapist involves treating pain and mobility challenges using a mixture of methods, including:

• Postural correction and joint mobilisation
  
• Muscle stretching and strengthening exercises
  
• Relaxation and deep tissue massage
  
• Trigger point therapy
  
• Myofascial release
  
• Muscle energy technique
  
• Neuromuscular facilitation
  
• Mind and body connection
  
• Neuroscience of pain
  
• Diet and nutrition guidance

Remedial therapists serve as educators to their clients, helping them understand how to live a more holistic lifestyle to support their overall well-being and referring them to other healthcare providers as needed.

Once qualified, some therapists undertake further training to offer specialised services, including pregnancy massage, reflexology, dry needling and myofascial cupping. Depending on your career goals and passions, your role as a remedial massage therapist can vary.

A day in the life of a remedial massage therapist

Have you ever imagined yourself as a remedial massage therapist? Once qualified, your days will include everything from patient pain assessments to trigger point therapy. Here are a few things to expect:

• Providing pain, musculoskeletal, and postural assessments for new and recurring clients.
  
• Working with clients to create a treatment plan based on their current issues and goals for their body.
  
• Establish and manage client relationships.
  
• Performing remedial massage treatments on a range of clients with varying needs and backgrounds, including disease, pregnancy, and sports.
  
• Using techniques like taping, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and passive joint movements.
  
• General tidying of your massage clinic, including refreshing towels and sterilising spaces.
  
• Booking appointments, taking payments, responding to enquiries, and doing general office and marketing administration.

Where you work can also impact your professional life as a remedial massage therapist. Thankfully, there are countless environments where your newly earned skills are invaluable.

Exploring your career options as a remedial massage therapist

One of the best parts of this career is your flexibility to work where, how, and when you choose. As a qualified remedial massage therapist, there’s no shortage of ways you can apply your skills.

Work for yourself

True flexibility and freedom are possible when you work as a sole trader performing remedial massage.

Clinical settings

Work in clinics, rehabilitation centres, and healthcare facilities, treating patients with specific injuries or conditions.

Aged care facilities

Improve circulation, reduce pain, and enhance overall well-being for older clients.

Tourism and wellness

Use your skills worldwide, providing relaxation and remedial massage to guests at retreats, resorts, and spas.

Sports and fitness

Remedial massage therapy is a crucial treatment for athletes, as you help people recover from injury and improve performance.

Energy healing

To harness the power of energy medicine, combine remedial massage with training in body energetics, herbal medicine, yoga, and crystal healing.

Training and education

Sharing your knowledge and giving students the skills to chase their dreams can be gratifying work.

Personal training

Qualified trainers can become more valuable with expertise in remedial massage therapy to offer clients.

Chiropractic offices

Many chiropractors work in tandem with remedial massage therapists in a shared clinic, and your treatments can complement theirs.

Corporate settings

Workplaces offering health benefits to employees, such as remedial massage, means your skills could be valuable for reducing stress and increasing employee satisfaction.

But before you can start envisioning your dream career, you must determine the best study and training pathway.

Which remedial massage course can qualify you?

Wondering how to become a remedial massage therapist in Australia? The most important step is completing a Diploma of Remedial Massage with a government-accredited training facility like Demi International. Once qualified, you’ll be eligible as a health fund provider and demonstrate to your clients that you can perform massage therapy safely and correctly.

The good news? Demi International lets you fast-track your career by completing your Diploma of Remedial Massage in one year. From there, you can launch your own massage clinic or work as a qualified massage therapist wherever you choose.

In addition to getting one of the most comprehensive educations by Queensland’s Small Training Provider of the Year, you’ll enjoy flexibility as you study. Our courses are based around school terms, making it easy to balance study with life. Better still, students are required to be on campus only two days per week, with an additional 15-20 hours a week completed through online, self-supported study.

A stepping stone to higher education  

With a qualification under your belt, you can explore further studies to expand your services. A Diploma in Remedial Massage is a recognised pathway to further study in myotherapy, exercise science, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and health science careers. Further, a remedial massage qualification complements psychology, yoga, nutrition, and nursing roles.

What’s the average remedial massage therapist salary?

The average salary for a massage therapist in Australia is $70,000 annually. However, specialists in areas like remedial massage can earn more. Likewise, the more your experience and clientele grow, the more your earnings will increase. And as with other career paths, working for yourself could be more lucrative than joining a massage clinic.

One way to increase your earning capacity is to explore a dual qualification, like remedial massage therapy and yoga or personal training. Having skills and knowledge in both areas can widen your service offering, grow your customer base, and allow you to earn much more.

Massage therapist skills to master

Your massage qualification will set you up for success, but that’s not all it takes. A common misconception about working as a remedial massage therapist is that massage techniques are the most important skill. While obviously important, qualified massage therapists also need several other hard and soft skills to thrive. They include:

Compassion
As a remedial massage therapist, you’ll often work with patients who are in pain or discomfort mentally and physically. Empathy and compassion for each one and consideration of them as individuals will enable you to treat them effectively.

Communication
Active listening skills are crucial for remedial massage therapists, as clients need to feel heard and understood. Likewise, you’ll need to communicate information clearly and simply about treatments and assessments and provide general customer service.

Pathology
Although remedial massage therapists cannot diagnose medical issues, they should be able to recognise signs and symptoms. Sometimes, you might even refer them to other trained medical professionals if needed. Being a qualified remedial massage therapist also means understanding when you can’t perform massage on someone due to a contraindication, so a good understanding of pathology is vital.

Anatomy and physiology knowledge
During your remedial massage therapy studies, you’ll learn about basic anatomy to treat your patients safely and effectively. However, your education shouldn’t stop there. Keeping up to date with your anatomy and physiology knowledge is essential to providing the highest level of care.

Physical stamina
As a profession that requires constant movement from its practitioners, you’ll spend most of your time as a massage therapist working on your feet. Being physically fit and able is essential, as you’ll sometimes work long hours or perform labour-intensive treatments on your clients.

Organisation
Being a massage therapist means juggling many things at once, particularly if you’re running your own massage clinic. You’ll need to stay mindful of booking times and schedules, keep your clinic clean, store clients’ details and treatment plans, and oversee the overall operation of your business.

Tips for success as a remedial massage therapist

Ready to answer your calling as a remedial massage therapist? Before you begin, these tips can give you the best chance for success in this specialised career and industry.

• Hands-on training is just as important as learning theory. Choose a course that offers both, like our Diploma of Remedial Massage, to get the best of both worlds.
  
• Being a massage therapist is physically demanding, and you’ll be on your feet often. Invest in good-quality shoes, and stay physically fit with regular exercise and balanced nutrition to keep you strong and maintain your stamina.
  
• Every client deserves the utmost confidentiality and respect, as outlined in the Massage Therapy Code of Conduct. Learning and understanding this code is crucial for delivering services that make your clients feel comfortable, respected, and safe.
  
• Seek a mentor to check in with you as you build your client base and help you work through challenges. Demi trainers mentor graduates through each stage of training and start-up, so you’ll have access to some of the best in the industry.
  
• Niching into specific areas, like pregnancy or geriatric remedial massage, can enhance your career and attract specific clientele. As you study and train, your interest in a particular type of remedial massage might grow.
  
• Ask clients for testimonials after each session so you can share your expertise and services with others. This will be key to growing your client base when you’re new to the industry.

You’ll need to complete yearly professional development to gain continuing education points, so be prepared to become a life-long learner. Likewise, staying abreast of new techniques or innovations in remedial massage can ensure you’re always providing the best for your clients.

How to find a job in remedial massage

Once qualified, remedial massage therapists have countless job opportunities. Check popular career platforms like Seek and Indeed for current opportunities, or consider starting your own business if you’d prefer to work independently.

Demi International students are supported in exploring potential employment prospects through industry guest presentations and our academy job board. With these up-to-date resources, you can seize opportunities as they arise.

The chance to make a difference in your client’s lives

Remedial massage is worth exploring if your career goals involve helping others and providing rewarding, beneficial treatments for your clients. Demi International’s course advisors are here to help you determine the best study pathway, payment options, and enrolment eligibility, so get in touch today.