Massage therapy is one of the oldest methods of healing and has been practiced for centuries in nearly every culture around the world. It is a hands-on treatment in which a trained therapist manipulates muscles and other tissues by using long, smooth gentle strokes or kneading the muscles to relieve muscle tension and reduce stress and improve health and well-being.
There are several different types of massage therapy including Swedish Massage which is a relaxing, full body massage; deep tissue massage where the pressure is more intense and tends to be more focused on problem areas; sports massage, hot stone massage or aromatherapy just to name a few.
Massage Therapists are often self-employed health professionals and usually work in massage therapy clinics, chiropractic offices, health clinics, rehabilitation centres, health spas, community health clinics or hospitals.
Training as a Massage Therapist
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We’ve selected a list of Massage Therapy programs in Canada for you to review. Click on your school or program of interest where you can learn a little more about their massage therapy program, and then click on the Request Info button to get information on tuition fees, class start dates and how to apply.
Provincial Regulations
Massage therapy is regulated by each individual province and territory, so standards and practices can vary. Massage Therapy is a regulated health profession in five Canadian provinces (BC, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and PEI), while the other provinces are at various points towards self-regulation.
Alberta
- Schools offering massage therapy training are not regulated in Alberta, however it is in the transitional process towards regulation and insurance companies rely on professional associations to determine competence. Graduates of a college for massage therapy should register and become certified with professional associations recognized by insurance providers.
British Columbia
- In British Columbia, the Massage Therapy profession is regulated by The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) that requires massage therapists to graduate from a BC accredited institution and write the registration exam. Accredited massage training programs typically last about two years.
Manitoba
- Massage Therapists are currently not regulated in Manitoba, however the application submitted by the Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba (MTAM) to become self-regulated under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) was approved in 2015 and are on the road to become regulated. Work on a draft Regulation Workbook that is used as a guideline for creating a General Regulation under the Regulated Health Professions Act began in 2019
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- As a regulated profession, this would require all massage therapists to complete a minimum level of education at an approved, registered school and that the titles Massage Therapist and Registered Massage Therapist be protected and used by only those who are eligible to register as an RMT with the regulatory college.
Ontario
- If you are attending a massage school in Ontario, you must enrol in a diploma program from an approved private vocational school or a College of applied Arts and Technology. To practice massage therapy in Ontario, you must register with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and obtain a Certificate of Registration. Only those registered may use the titles “Registered Massage Therapist” (RMT) or “Massage Therapist” (MT).
Massage therapists median wage as of August 15, 2022 is $25.85/hour in Canada.
|
3 Year Jobs Forecast |
Median Wage |
Alberta |
Good |
$27.00/hour |
British Columbia |
Good |
$30.00 |
Manitoba |
Good |
$30.00 |
Ontario |
Fair |
$28.85/hour |
Source: Jobbank.gc.ca, August 16, 2022
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