When some people think of massage school, they envision spending their days giving and receiving massage.  But the fact is, to get a proper massage education it is important to have a balance of both hands-on clinical massage training as well as theoretical classroom training.

Although massage schools vary greatly, quality programs will properly blend the hands-on training with a proper amount of theory.  The bottom line is you can’t safely lay hands on clients without knowing what you are doing.

So what is the difference between theory and practical hands-on training?  Simple.  The classroom theory part of your schooling is like the who, what, where, when and why of massage.  The hands-on clinical training is the how.

The foundation for your massage school training will be the how, in the form of basic massage techniques.  You will learn the technical aspects of Swedish Massage, as well as other techniques such as deep tissue massage, maybe some lymphatic drainage techniques, as well as many other specific modalities.  Again, every school is different in what and how they train their massage students.  But Swedish Massage is the foundation of all massage, and you will spend many hours learning and perfecting these techniques.

However, without the proper classroom theory, the who, what, where, when and why part, you will be hard-pressed to become a truly skilled massage therapist.  Most states regulate the massage industry, and for good reason.  It is important for massage practitioners to have a thorough understanding of the body and how to properly administer a massage.  Without that knowledge people can get hurt, or at the least receive a very ineffective massage.

When it comes to the classroom training, you will be learning all about the body, and specifically the muscles and joints.  This study of muscles and joint movement is called kinesiology.  For those wanting to practice more therapeutic or treatment massage, kinesiology will be a very important course for you.

Another critical aspect of leaning massage theory is what we call contraindication.  Contraindicated basically means that in certain circumstances or with certain conditions, specific massage techniques (or all massage) should be avoided.  For instance, if a client has an open wound, massage would be contraindicated for that specific area of the body.

There are a lot of contraindications, and it is an important part of any massage therapists’ education to learn these.  For instance, massage is contraindicated for people recovering from open heart surgery.  There are also contraindications for diabetics.

Gary Eaton is a licensed massage therapist and writer living and working in Portland, Oregon. He manages a thriving therapeutic massage practice and is a featured writer for Massage Schools Guide.