"Massage News to educate everyone about Massage Therapy because the journey is endless."

Today, I heard a woman, who recently turned 50 say "I could never do massage." When I asked her why, she replied while moving her hands as if to massage "Oh it would hurt too much at my age."

I immediately responded that I have been doing massage for 22 years and my hands never, ever hurt. She looked at me quite surprised.

"How do you manage that ?", she said. Well, when choosing your massage school you want to make sure that they teach you proper body mechanics and leverage. She stated she never thought of that.

I also explained to her that in addition, I have made sure that after massage school I learned a variety of modalities that would also be less stressful to my body and learned that yoga was a great tool to stay fit.

It was interesting that she was at Privai Academy for her daughter, who was considering a career change to the esthetics field from being a respiratory therapist.

She was looking for something that she could do as well, but never considered massage…until……she bumped into me.

I asked her what she enjoyed to do in life. What was her previous experience and background and where did she see her self now?

I easily related to her, being of the same age and understanding certain concerns about the body.

It was interesting to hear her speak about her life and experiences. She shared her love for interior design and feng shui. She also had worked in business and management. She liked to help people and years ago she obtained a cosmetology license she never used.

Hmm? I thought, and responded to her.

"Well, many of the therapists I know pride themselves in their art of feng shui to create an environment that is relaxing and conducive to healing. Your background in business and management is an advantage because many people entering the profession of massage do not understand all that it takes to succeed in business. The license you hold in cosmetology would be an excellent adjunct to massage and make you more marketable." Since she liked to help people, massage seemed like a good match.

Then she explained that she gets bored easily. Well, I sure can relate to that too!

I said to her "Did you know that massage can be done in a variety of fields?"

"For instance, if you enjoy working with the elderly and geriatric population you could specialize in that and the work is definitely gentler on your body. If you see yourself in a more clinical setting you would want to specialize in modalities that can treat specific conditions. This would allow you to work along with chiropractors for instance."

As her head was nodding, I continued to watch her body language and expressions.

Since she expressed to me that she liked beautiful environments, the spa industry might be a great place for her or she could create her own space like atmosphere at home and pace herself slower.

"Spa treatments are fun to do and very beneficial, I explained." She smiled. If you love essential oils and their smells, aromatherapy massage is something you can offer as well.

I proceeded to tell her how I spent years working with women who were survivors of abuse. I noticed she responded curiously and she said "that is something I never thought of, tell me more."

"Well, there are modalities like cranio sacral therapy, somato emotional release and other massage tools and skills that can help you facilitate this sort of work." She got very interested. As we continued to discuss all of the possibilities that massage can offer to work along with this type of clientele, she said, "You know, I need to look into this more. I never realized all the options the massage field presented. Thank you".

Today's world of massage offers so many options. If you think you can't do massage because it will hurt, you are wrong. It only hurts when we don't take care of ourselves.

Many people in their 50's or up, are seeking career changes, looking for something to fulfill their life and give back while earning a decent wage. Massage can provide all of this and more. Life experiences can also add to the quality of your practice.

Imagine all the possibilities! Think of all the people in the world that have some sort of stress or physical ailments. Massage and the multitude of modalities and working environments accommodate almost every avenue.

Our industry has grown enormously in the last 20 years. Our educational providers keep exploring possibilities and expanding. And just think with all this expansion and schools popping up, if you love to teach and you love massage this might be a consideration at some point as well.

No matter what age there is something for everyone if you want to be in a service oriented industry. So baby boomers, jump on board and enter a rewarding field!

Visit her website at www.MassageProCe.com for more information and details.