MASSAGE - explanation  and   general  overview
sports ... indian head ... hot stones ... body ... thai foot ... thai ... clothed ... seated 
AROMATHERAPY... SWEDISH ... BODY ROCKING ...  HANDS FREE /DEEP TISSUE ... STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT  AND  ALIGNMENT

THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF MASSAGE OUT THERE!
WHICH ONE SUITS YOU???
This is a general overview and explanation of common questions and misconceptions surrounding different types of massage. All practitioners start with their initial training and then develop in different ways with their CPD – Continued Professional Development.  Below is an outline of general explanations, surrounding Sports Massage, Swedish/Body Massage/Deep Tissue Massage, Aromatherapy, Hot Stones and Beauty School trained Massage, along with links to those and more.    

For further information you may click on any of the massage types.  

All therapists are unique individuals. 
Therapies are an art form, involving creativity, adapting to the client's needs.

Most training in Massage, with the exception of MTI (Massage Training Institute) and Sports Massage (SMA accredited training) is taught to a routine.  Where there is routine, therapists are less likely to be inclined to change it to suit the client, and therapists are also more likely to damage their hands and wrists through repetitive strain.

There are still training schools out there who are teaching massage qualifications (and reflexology and sports massage and aromatherapy) in as little as a day or even on online courses!   Day courses should be restricted to CPD (continued proffessional development) courses, and not allowed for initial training certificates.

All massage therapists will have started out doing one of these courses:
  1. Body/Swedish Massage
  2. Aromatherapy Massage
  3. Sports Massage
  4. Thai Massage


Typical CPD training (developing skills after they have qualified) include:
  1. Hot Stones Massage
  2. Indian Head Massage
  3. Thai Foot Massage
  4. Pregnancy massage
  5. Body Rocking
  6. Rhythm Mobility ... (this list goes on and on)


When you are booking a massage here are some key elements to look for/ask:

  • How long has the practitioner studied for - good courses should last an academic year per therapy (9 months), per level.  (i.e. sports massage may be studied over a number of years.)
  • How many case studies did they do - this should be 40-60 per therapy/year.
  • How long have they been practising - this will be a good indicator as to whether they are maintaining their body well through good practice.  However, as a practitioner myself, I can only do 8 - 10 deep tissue massages on men a week, due to the pressure applied and the size of my arms, (more on smaller women and children).


Here I will try the very difficult task of explaining differences to help you to make an informed decision. However, you must also remember that massage is an art form, every practitioner, wherever they train, will develop their own style, and when they do CPD (Continued Professional Development Training) they will, of course, add in new skills, new styles, new influences. The result is that it ends up being a case of finding a massage practitioner who treats you as an individual. One who is able to work with you on that basis, to suit the requirements you have. Don’t be afraid to call and ask about how they work and whether it’s the treatment type for you. 

Examples of individual requirements may be:
Massage through clothes; mobilising massage; massage without oil; massage for relaxation; deep tissue massage; specific area massage; extra long massage; quick neck back and shoulders at lunchtime massage; RSI treatment; whiplash orientated massage; body rocking for emotional release massage; pregnancy massage; massage for children; combinations of all the above!!!… the list of individual requirements goes on forever! Speak to the practitioners you are considering going to!

Sports Massage

Firstly I will address the common misconception that in order to have a Deep Tissue Massage you need to book a ‘Sports Massage’. This is not so, but when you do book a Sports Massage it will generally be very deep massage styles used for specific parts of the body, as opposed to the traditional ‘Body Massage’ which is where you will get your full body massage treatment, but probably at less intensity. 

Deep Tissue Massage

Practitioners who are comfortable with Deep Tissue Massage means that they have done training which enables them to work with clients at this level without straining their hands and arms. The likelihood is that they have done initial training such as Swedish Massage or Aromatherapy Massage and gone on to learn new techniques such as Hands Free Massage. Practitioners trained through MTI (Massage Training Institute) are also trained with a variety of techniques enabling deep pressures. As are Sports Massage therapists. 

Swedish Massage/Full Body Massage

Swedish Massage is the well recognised style of ‘Full Body Massage’. Swedish Massage (as all massage with the exception of MTI and SMA training) is taught as a routine. Practitioners learn a routine that is supposed to suit everybody, of course, ‘every body’ is different and with experience and additional training (CPD) Swedish Body Massage practitioners learn new skills and learn how to adapt their routine to the individual. Essentially it is like a clothes horse, a basis upon which to hang a whole host of skills. 

Aromatherapy Massage

Usually the typical Aromatherapy Massage is very relaxing, takes longer than a ‘normal’ Body Massage and is oriented around the oils that are used. In a ‘text book’ Aromatherapy Massage treatment the practitioner will choose oils to suit you (with you), perform a relaxing routine for 1 ¼ hours, and charge a bit more for the extra time and the oils. Over time, if they have developed their massage practice ‘Aromatherapy Massage’ could mean any of the listed massage types with the added benefit of oils. Some aromatherapists have indeed practised massage for many years and added aromatherapy to the mix later on. 

Hot Stones Massage

Hot Stones Massage is often learnt as a CPD (Continued Professional Development) course. Therapists learn it to add to their skills. It takes longer and costs more; part of this reason is that it takes a while for the stones to heat up in the ‘cooker’! Initially when the training became available it was taught from the perspective that you don’t need a deep massage because heat of the stones penetrates the muscles very deeply. More recently the opinions in the massage world have developed and now sometimes practitioners use the stones for Deep Tissue Massage too. Ask your practitioner how they work. Client feedback is often that once they have had Hot Stones Massage they never go back to other forms of Massage, but first they had to let go of their ideals of it not being as deep in techniques! 

A Note on ‘Beauty’ School Trained Massage

Routines are learnt and they are often more of a ‘Light Touch’ Massage, often found in beauty salons. The benefit of people trained in beauty schools is that often they are trained in many many different therapies, usually not very long courses (sometime with 0 – 6 case studies) however the variety of skills they learn means they have a number of different techniques at their disposal, if they are able to break out of their routines. Experience and further training allows them to do so. The downside is that if you (the practitioner) do repeat routines, your hands may hurt and this will prevent you from applying deeper pressures, unless you have done further training. Ask your practitioner for more information; a good gauge is the length of time they have been practicing successfully.

Recommended local training for therapists

MTI (Massage Training Institute) training is taught as part of the Complementary Therapies BSc degree at Cardiff Met (formerly known as UWIC). 
The MTI course is also taught as a stand alone therapy (not as part of the degree) at Cardiff Met. CPD courses are regularly available from TEACH Therapy. Many of the CPD courses are taught by Darien Pritchard, in Cardiff and Bristol: Dynamic Massage