Are you considering Shiatsu massage certification to become a licensed practitioner or therapist?
This article will guide you through it and share the typical salary of a Shiatsu masseuse.
Not sure what Shiatsu is?
Here’s a quick intro:
Shiatsu and its practictioners’ origins
Shiatsu is a sort of massage treatment that originated in ancient Japan.
The name comes from a literal Japanese expression which means “finger pressure”.
Shiatsu consists of applying weight to specific areas on the body, with flowing movements from one point to another.
While shiatsu has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is currently used all throughout the world and is a common practice in Western society. There are also a number of appliances that have been invented that emulate Shiatsu, such as massage seats.
Although regularly alluded to as a type of back rub, shiatsu is really a type of energy work that adjusts the energy pathways in the body.
The advantages of shiatsu rely on the purposes behind the visit and the length of the treatment.
Shiatsu experts report that individuals who go for regular sessions receive the most rewards, however that even one session can help loosen up the patient and start to clear any blockages in their energy.
Shiatsu sessions regularly start with an assessment of the patient’s condition.
This is usually discerned at an appointment via a series of questions or by the therapist’s perception based on the patient’s range of motion, muscle stiffness, etc.
During Shiatsu massage, the therapist will apply pressure using a finger, thumb or palm in a nonstop rhythmic motion to specific parts of the patient’s body to relieve pain or promote healing in areas that have been affected by a health condition.
For the most part, patients lie completely dressed on a low table or even on the floor.
This enables therapists to utilize their own body to support a patient during specific stretches.
Depending upon the patient’s experience in receiving shiatsu treatments, the therapist may utilize various strategies they have learned in their training, including tapping, pressing, and applying weight.
Benefits of Shiatsu for recipients and therapists
In similar fashion to acupressure, and other forms of massage that stimulate the body’s pressure points, shiatsu practitioners apply force to places on the body that are known to be associated with pathways called meridians.
By stimulating these pathways, practitioners of shiatsu increase the flow of bio-electricity (otherwise called “chi”) in order to encourage healing and proper functioning of the body’s organs.
As indicated by the standards of TCM, blockages in the flow of chi can cause a wide scope of illnesses.
In spite of the fact that researchers can’t seem to decide how or why shiatsu may improve physical well-being, it’s generally agreed that this type of treatment may soothe the nervous system, promote mental tranquility, reduce tension caused by stress, and ease physical pain.
Despite the fact that these outcomes have not been widely studied, many therapeutic massage experts report that shiatsu works well together with conventional medicine.
Some other areas that can gain an additional benefit from Shiatsu include:
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Constipation
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Muscle aches
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PMS symptoms
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Chemotherapy side effects
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Migraines
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Digestive problems
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Skin problems
How To become a Shiatsu practitioner
Conventional massage schools and concentrated Shiatsu massage institutions offer Shiatsu career training programs by way of training courses.
When all is said and done, you can expect your Shiatsu massage treatment course work to cover these areas of study:
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Anatomy
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Shiatsu massage techniques
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Chinese medicine
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Ethics and business practices
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Meridian pathways
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Supervised practicum
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Pressure Points
If you decide to become a shiatsu practitioner, you should first and foremost have an innate desire for helping people heal, and also an enthusiasm for natural medicine.
You must find an authorized shiatsu training program, join an association for shiatsu or other massage therapy, and build a solid client base.
Shiatsu massage is becoming an increasingly prevalent type of bodywork, and professionals can address various medical issues and offer profound relief to their customer base.
Most states mandate that any kind of massage therapist be affirmed and authorized through local healthcare experts, and in some cases even the local police departments.
This, of course, varies from state to state.
Schools that show you how to become a shiatsu practitioner will also prescribe to your desire to help individuals with their healing processes.
They will want to see proof of your reasons for choosing this profession and how strongly you believe in healing using natural modalities, but also that you have the manual dexterity and skill to properly utilize massage techniques.
Inquiring about shiatsu through books, magazines, medical papers and journals, and online forums can enable you to shape a strong basis for choosing your profession as a shiatsu practitioner.
Obtaining shiatsu certification and other steps
Another step in your progression to attain your shiatsu certification is to locate the correct school or preparing system to consummate your abilities and achieve the fundamental prerequisites for certification.
Massage schools having some expertise in various methodologies are common all throughout the world; you ought to explore the ones that intrigue you most.
If possible, converse with present and previous students and employees to gain a fuller comprehension of the sort of training that the organization offers.
You will need to pick an education that offers the most recent shiatsu systems, the various sorts of shiatsu methods, and the most state-of-the-art data on medical advantages and potential dangers.
In addition to your learning, most states will require you to take a shiatsu certification test in order to be lawfully permitted to practice.
When you have finished learning shiatsu through a certification program and passed any mandatory testing, it is a good idea to join an expert shiatsu association or society.
This can enable you to coordinate with other shiatsu massage practitioners, be they licensed therapists or people who, similar to you, have just recently finished their shiatsu coursework.
An established association can likewise enable you to look for some kind of employment, and allow you to become a shiatsu therapist.
They will normally offer leads for work through spas, salons, and hotels.
A few may even post advertisements from people searching for a shiatsu massage, helping you contact potential clients and begin your very own business.
The last steps you can take to turn into a shiatsu practitioner is one of the most significant for building up a long and successful career.
You will need to interface with as many potential customers as possible.
This may involve publicizing your credentials, designing and publishing your own website, and offering extraordinary deals and discounts to get customers to visit.
Transitioning from a practitioner to a therapist
The two terms interchangeably but there is a marked difference between a massage practitioner and those seeking how to become a shiatsu therapist.
Practitioners are toward the start of their vocation, and for the most part set aside this time in their career to rehearse what they have been instructed at school, including novice massage strokes.
Most practitioners learn how to become a shiatsu therapist at this level, as advanced shiatsu massage is instructed at this level.
In many instances, a statewide massage test is also required if the practitioner wants to update their status to affirmed massage therapist without demonstrating the individual in question has taken shiatsu courses.
Therapists are commonly more qualified than practitioners, and must have 500-1,000 hours of massage practice beyond their shiatsu courses, although the amount of hours vary from state to state.
California, for instance has a base necessity of only 100 hours of massage practice, while Colorado and New York require 500-1000 hours of preparing.
The amount of hours you need to have in order to work at a spa generally depends on the spa.
Numerous spas utilize practitioners and for the most part require at least between 100-350 hours of practice.
An upper-scale spa may choose to utilize therapists with at least 500 hours and additionally require that they have multiple years of experience.
Shiatsu therapists can foresee a 24 percent expansion in work opportunity through 2026, as indicated by the U.S. Authority of Labor Statistics.
The expanding prominence of alternative medicine and massage treatments as ways to promote well-being and health are among the numerous components that will add to the solid employment development rate for massage professionals in the coming decade.
The median yearly compensation for massage therapists is $39,860. Actual pay rates may differ widely depending on specialization inside the field, area of practice, how much experience has been gained, and an assortment of other different variables.
A Shiatsu profession requires advanced learning in life structures, physiology, Chinese medicine, meridian pathways and Shiatsu massage systems.
A passion for helping people, a long-term commitment to the process of training, and a comprehension of essential business methodologies will enable you to construct a successful Shiatsu practice.
In the event that you are interested in Shiatsu training, investigate Shiatsu massage schools and pick the Shiatsu preparing program that meets your personal and professional needs.
