Prenatal massage

Massage therapy is not necessarily a "one size fits all" profession.

I know that a lot of us have an image of a small massage parlor with bad accents, but that's not all there is. For example, pregnant women need a massage every now and then too--but there are rules for pregnant massage. You can't do the same things with a pregnant woman as you can with a normal person. There are things you have to think about before you get started--it's a good niche industry--just take a look.

Pre-natal massage is a specialty that is coveted in pretty much every major metropolitan area in this country. Our population is constantly growing and now that health care is being mandated a lot more people might feel free to have children because they won't feel burdened with the cost of birthing a child at the hospital.

Now, it's a simple specialty, but you still have to be certified in pre-natal massage. When you go through a massage therapy course you are getting a generic certificate in massage therapy. This isn't bad--that's just the way it is.

If you want to get a specialty certificate then you'll need to go through another course to get certified in pre-natal massage. If this is your cup of tea then I would suggest working as a general Massage Therapist and then go BACK and get your certification in pre-natal massage. This way you can work two fields at once and you'll already have experience in massage when you get your new certification.

Where do you use this kind of certification? Lots of massage studios would LOVE to have someone on board who can also do pre-natal massage. It's an easy way to bring in new customers.

Some OB/GYN offices will also want to have a pre-natal massage therapist on staff. They can offer massages to patients as a part of their check up appointments--or just as another reason to get people in the office.

You might be able to work at a hospital or birthing clinic and give massages to new patients or to returning patients--or even to women who are in labor and not getting any better--what a comfort it would be to comfort someone who was having a long and hard labor with a good massage?

Using a specialty in a common area is a good way to expand your business, make more money, and meet more people. You'll constantly be growing your clientele as you work in more than one area--and especially through grateful new mothers who are so glad you made their pregnancy as pleasant as you possibly could.

Not a bad deal just for learning how to give a proper massage, eh?