Rely on Success from the Start for the inspiration and practical business guidance you need to enjoy a long and rewarding career in massage therapy. Business naiveté is one of the primary reasons massage therapists leave the profession. The author has written this text to provide you with the business skills you need to envision and then launch a successful career. Set yourself on your path to success—right from the start.

This is the premiere guide to managing a successful massage career and running a successful holistic business. Written by veteran massage therapist and holistic business coach Jessica Abegg (LMT, MBA, MSIB), this visual, hands-on book contains all the tools readers need. It focuses on both practical concerns (such as finance and legal organization), and intangible elements of success (reflection, balance, and self-care). It also includes vital information on marketing and the Internet: knowledge often absent in the high-touch, low-tech world of massage. Throughout, it reflects the growing recognition that it is urgently important to help practitioners manage businesses and careers more successfully, as reflected in the inclusion of Business Practices in the new Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge.

Reclaim the magic of massage. If you're feeling burned out, we can beat it. If you're worried about starting your own business, we can conquer those fears. If you think you suck at massage, you're wrong. Massage is weird. There, I said it, and I'd say it again. Whether it's communicating with first time clients, figuring out how the puzzle of pain works (and why it sometimes seems impossible to solve), or creeper-proofing your practice, it can be a lot for one person to figure out all on their own. That's why we'll figure it out together! Take the leap of faith with me and we'll demystify the mysterious, bust a few massage myths, and learn how to drop the worries and start focusing on outcomes. We'll get through it together, one chapter at a time.

This superbly illustrated text familiarizes students with individual muscles and muscle systems and demonstrates basic clinical massage therapy techniques. More than 550 full-color illustrations of internal structures are embedded into photographs of live models to show each muscle or muscle group, surrounding structures, surface landmarks, and the therapist's hands. Students see clearly which muscle is being worked, where it is, where it is attached, how it can be accessed manually, what problems it can cause, and how treatment techniques are performed. This edition features improved illustrations of draping and includes palpation for each muscle. An accompanying Real Bodywork DVD includes video demonstrations of massage techniques from the book.

Massage Therapy: Integrating Research and Practice presents the latest research examining the evidence for the use of various massage therapy techniques in treating pathological conditions and special populations. In this resource readers will find a synthesis of information from the diverse fields of kinesiology, medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and psychology. Authored by experts carefully selected for their specific knowledge, experience, and research acumen, Massage Therapy: Integrating Research and Practice will assist both students and practitioners in these areas: • Learning the benefits of evidence-based massage therapy practice • Understanding various research methods • Developing research skills by learning guidelines for writing case reports and journal articles • Understanding how to integrate massage therapy research into education and clinical practice This text presents a seamless integration of research and practice in four parts, providing readers first with a background to the field of massage therapy followed by discussion of research methods. Next is an evidence-based presentation of the efficacy of massage therapy for conditions and populations often encountered in massage therapy practice. This clinicial section presents three patient populations (pediatric, athletic, and elderly); three pain-related types (headache, neck and shoulder pain, and low back pain); and six conditions that massage therapists may encounter: pregnancy and labor, scar treatment, cancer, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, and clients who have experienced sexual trauma. Recommendations and evidence-based treatment guidelines are clearly defined for each condition. Case reports developed from real-life cases are included in this section, offering readers a real-world context for the clinical content presented. The final section illustrates specific ways to integrate research into the educational and professional development of current and future massage therapists. It provides readers with the fundamental tools for a research-based approach in clinical practice, especially as it relates to special populations. A running glossary, chapter summaries, and critical thinking questions assist students in learning the content and act as self-study tools for practitioners. Massage Therapy: Integrating Research and Practice offers both students and practitioners of massage therapy the most current evidence-based information, guidelines, and recommendations for the treatment of conditions often seen in massage therapy practice. This essential reference will assist practitioners in understanding the scientific literature and its application in enhancing the practice of this safe and effective health intervention.

Develop the business skills necessary to succeed in massage therapy with help from respected massage educator and business owner, Sandy Fritz! With a user-friendly approach and comprehensive support tools, this authoritative guide delivers a working knowledge of essential concepts for employees or owners of a massage therapy practice and helps you prepare for the professional challenges that await you in the real world. - Renowned massage educator and business owner Sandy Fritz presents a practical, proven business philosophy for success in massage therapy practice. - Focus on need-to-know business skills for complete success as an employee or the owner of a massage therapy practice. - A companion CD with practice management software provides hands-on experience creating client records, setting appointments, entering documentation, and more. - Self-Reflection boxes put concepts into a realistic context through Sandy Fritz's personal experiences in massage practice. - Learning Activity boxes reinforce your understanding and challenge you to apply what you've learned in an engaging workbook format. - Good Stuff from the Government boxes alert you to helpful government resources and help you ensure compliance with federal regulations. - Mentor boxes provide real-world insight and advice from experts in massage and business management for successful practice. - More than 200 realistic photos and illustrations clarify concepts and familiarize you with typical practice settings and essential forms, records, office equipment, and supplies. - Evolve Resources link you to templates for building resumes, letters, advertisements, forms for documentation, and client histories, plus small business resources, annotated web links, a glossary of key terms from the text, and additional exercises and case studies.

Massage therapists need basic, practical business advice such as low to mid-cost marketing techniques, taxes, and recordkeeping, but there is also no denying the benefits of “been there, done that” information that can only come from someone else’s experience. How to Start a Home-based Massage Therapy Business offers a gold mine of tips and ideas that can lessen the learning curve, stimulate thinking outside-the-box, and increase the odds of having a wildly successful practice.