Massage: luxury or healthcare, or somewhere in between?
Most Massage Therapists want massage therapy to be viewed as healthcare, not a luxury.
And yet, in the USA at least, healthcare IS in fact a luxury. Oh, the irony! It's not seen as basic human right necessary for survival. It's tied to employment or access to enough wealth to private pay.
And medical costs are the no. 1 reason for bankruptcy in the US. We spend more on health care, per person, than any other country. In 2023, the United States spent $4,866.5 billion
from the American Medical Association
So, the question is - what are we REALLY asking for when we ask the public to view massage therapy as healthcare and not a luxury?
To be taken more seriously?
To require more education + training?
The ability to bill insurance?
Permission to charge higher rates?
When I asked my followers on IG, the overwhelming majority said - to be taken more seriously.
Interesting…so is this a shame thing? Do we feel like our work isn’t seen as worthy enough and if we’re officially added into the medical field - massage no longer has to sit at the kiddie table.
It’s true, massage is not lifesaving.
But that’s ok. Not everything needs to be essential for survival to be worthy, and it’s time we stop trying to prove we’re “medical enough.” I don't believe we need to lump ourselves in with doctors to receive the credibility we're desiring or deserve.
“it’s time we stop trying to prove we’re “medical enough”
Which means we also need to be addressing - when did LUXURY become a bad word for massage therapists?
We’ve adopted this binary way of thinking that as a massage therapist, you’re either “medical/clinical” or you’re relaxation. And for a long time, the relaxation focused folks were made to be inferior and doing “easier” work. So, are we inferring that if something feels good, it’s frivolous? Can care not be both indulgent and impactful?
This binary model creates division inside our profession and discredits our work, because the truth is - most massage therapists are a harmony of both. Sure, we might lean a little heavy one way, but it’s all intermeshed.
But the first step to elevating ourselves is asking, "what do I REALLY mean when I say I want to be seen as healthcare?" Because I have the sneaking suspicion that getting into the healthcare scene isn’t actually going to solve the problem.
