Martin Ashley - Massage: A Career at Your Fingertips

The following names used in this book are protected by trademark, trade-name or service-mark protection: AMMA, Aston-Patterning, Body Logic, Bodymind Acupressure, Bonnie Prudden, Designer Massage, Equissage, Feldenkrais, Hellerwork, Jin Shin Do, Jin Shin Jyutsu, MLD, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Myopractic, Myotherapy, NAVALT, North American Vodder Association of Lymphatic Therapy, Ortho-Bionomy, Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy, Rolfing, Rosen Method, Rubenfeld Synergy, Seated Massage Experience, Trager, TT.E.A.M., Vibrational Massage Healing Therapy, Watsu.

Copyright 2006 by Martin Ashley

Published by Enterprise Publishing
P.O. Box 530 / 3 Londonderry Lane
Somers, New York 10589
(914) 248-0325

This book is copyrighted. Reproduction is prohibited without permission. Schools or instructors wishing to use any portion of this book as instructional material must obtain the permission of the publisher in advance. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

courtesy of Bancroft School of Massage Therapy, Worcester, MA
All other illustrations by Lorrie Klosterman
Cover design by Rene Skuba, New York, NY
Typesetting by PDS Associates, Allenhurst, NJ

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ashley, Martin
Massage: a career at your fingertips : Martin Ashley. 5th
ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-9644662-5-2

1. MassageVocational guidance. 2. MassagePractice. I.
Title.

RA780.5.A75 2006 615.822023

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United

For the novice, for the massage or bodywork student, for the practitioner

First item, money; second item, drive and motivation; third item, commitment; still interested?

What is massage, anyway? Bodywork and massage; definitions; recent growth of massage, factors involved; what does the future hold? Peoples barriers to massage

What is at stake? Governmental regulation of massage; why regulate the practice? Why some oppose attempt to create regulation; licensing, certification, registration; a brief history of the National Certification Exam; suggestions for the future

Common misconceptions; typical career paths; elements these career paths have in common; main causes of career failures; the golden keys to career success; make a commitment to strengthen your weaknesses

Kinds of massage, types of clients; settings for the practice of massage; legal relationships

Investigate the field; going to massage school; choose your approach: permanent parttime, cautious exploration, planned transition or total immersion; create a business plan and follow it through

Section One Preliminary questions

Are you ready? How long do you expect this to take? Whats your plan? Sample business plan; create your business plan

Section Two nuts and bolts of marketing for massage and bodywork

Person-to-person techniques: demonstration/lecture, free introductory massages, discounts to clients for referrals, chamber of commerce, on-site promotions, join organizations

Person-to-paper techniques: flyers and business cards, direct mail advertising, yellow pages, newspaper coverage of you and your practice, placing ads in newspapers

Broadcast media, internet marketing opportunities, ethereal marketing techniques, joining managed care networks, fostering repeat business, sources for further information

Governmental requirements: licensing laws; zoning requirements; health department, police department and fire department requirements; local business taxes

Practical requirement: assumed name certificate; business bank account; stationery, business cards and other printing needs

Business decisions: financial and professional readiness; location; negotiating a lease; taking credit card; furnishing your office; telephone reception; caller ID

Checklist for office opening; opening a group practice; buying an existing practice

Section One clients who want sexual massage; understanding the big picture; screening new clients; one therapists story

Section Two therapists who have sexual feelings toward clients

The challenge for a male therapist; the male as pursuer

Childhood abuse and the damage that results; the intake interview; during the massage; one survivors experience with massage

Steps you can take toward professionalism; what to expect from clients; pricing your services; barter

Fundamentals of ethics: confidentiality, integrity in business practices, boundaries; dual relationships; power imbalance in the therapeutic relationship; romance and dating; individual answers to ethical questions; supervision, transference and counter-transference

Tips from experienced practitioners

Hire a service vs. do it yourself; choosing a laundry service; finding suppliers of sheets and towels; choosing sheets and towels; tips for do-it-yourself launderers

General membership organizations: American Massage Therapy Association/COMTA, Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals/IMSTAC, International Massage Association (IMA Group)

Specialized membership organizations: American Manual Medicine Association, American Oriental Bodywork Therapy Association, American Polarity Therapy Association, National Association of Nurse Massage Therapists, State and Local organizations

Why buy insurance; kinds of insurance available to the professional bodyworker: professional liability, business liability, business insurance, disability insurance, medical insurance

Section One Laws You Should Know About: federal, state, county and local governments; county and municipal professional licensing laws; other local requirements; business licenses; zoning laws; local taxes; fictitious name certificate; taxpayer ID number; business identity; contractual relationships; laws regulating bodywork; laws regulating animal massage

Section Two State Laws Regarding Massage: Alabama, Arizona. Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

State Licensing Chart

The big picture; deductions are beautiful; what can I deduct? Business use vs. personal use; documenting deductions; schedule C; business use of your car; depreciation; estimated tax payments; hiring an accountant; getting further information

AMTA Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Touch Research Institute, research summaries, resources for further study

Current status of insurance reimbursement; how big a part of the profession is it? Advantages and disadvantages; your role in the health care system; professional arrangements

Procedures for billing insurance companies: step one, preapproval; step two, documentation; step three, billing the company; step four, follow-up, avoiding billing pitfalls

Kinds of insurance; financial responsibility form; states with licensure vs. states without licensure; objective findings; litigation; fees and rate structures; electronic filing and a word about HIPAA

Tax records; client records; records of business activity; sample forms

Savings; long-range planning; kinds of savings plans; tax-sheltered savings plans; kinds of retirement plans: IRA and ROTH IRA, SEP, Keogh

This book is dedicated to my parents,