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What to expect at your Massage Appointment

How to choose a Massage Therapist

Perhaps you have decided it is about time that you take a moment for yourself to relax and unwind, possibly another health professional has suggested that you get a massage, maybe you enthusiastically decided to walk one of our gorgeous DOC trails at the weekend and 21 km later every single muscle is screaming at you.

Whatever the reason may be, you are now thinking to yourself, "how do I find a massage therapist?" "who should I choose?" and "what is the difference between them all?" Massage styles and techniques vary, as do therapists delivering the service. This makes for a potential roulette wheel of choosing the "right therapist".

However, to put you on the right track from the very start, take a look at the Massage New Zealand (MNZ) website https://massagenewzealand.org.nz Right there on the homepage is the very convenient "Find a Therapist" function, this allows you to select from region or a type of therapy. This is very handy if you already know what you prefer.

With a couple of clicks of the drop-down menus you will be presented with a list of MNZ registered members in your chosen region. A further "click for full details" will display all the additional information added by the registered massage therapist including the treatments they provide, their clinic details, qualifications and other modalities practised (if any).

If this is your very first massage experience and it all seems overwhelming, you can phone or email any MNZ registered massage therapist to discuss your needs and requirements and ask any questions you may have.

All MNZ Registered Massage Therapists (RMT) have obtained a required level and standard of qualification from an NZQA approved education provider. MNZ also has a thorough protocol for recognition of massage therapy qualifications gained outside of New Zealand. Every single MNZ RMT must follow strict professional conduct, abide by a code of ethics and standards of practice and are guided by professional body rules, requiring continuing professional development and peer interaction. They are all a friendly bunch and so your phone call or email will never seem like a bother. If the RMT is unable to help you or answer all your questions they will happily point you in the direction of a colleague that can.

What does this mean though, you ask? Well MNZ RMT's are more likely to be professional in their delivery of services due to these standards and guidelines, such as accepted behaviours and currently applied techniques/modalities. Therefore, right from the get-go you will be in safe hands.

It just makes sense to put your body in safe hands and choose a professional MNZ RMT as your provider.