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

Looking ahead 10 years at this time is quite challenging. The upcoming election and the faltering economy are huge unpredictable variables that have the potential to dramatically affect and alter our profession.

It would be my hope that within 10 years the medical-pharmaceutical sickness-care complex will collapse and alternative, wellness-based healthcare will become the first line of care in our society. In such a system, massage therapists would be one of the premier first-door providers. Of course this would mean higher standards in our education and better licensing laws. Sadly, I do not think this is a realistic expectation.

I can safely predict that in some form or another, massage will continue to be increasingly popular with the public. Massage will become ever more mainstream especially wellness/relaxation oriented massage, both table and chair, in spas, resorts, business wellness programs, etc.

What will happen to clinical/treatment oriented massage in the next 10 years is less clear. I believe there will be a split or tiering of the profession into a wellness/relaxation only level and a clinical/treatment level. My hope is that the clinical model be wellness, alternative oriented and maintain first-door providership status. Realistically, I expect it will become allopathically oriented, gatekeeper controlled, working in hospitals and clinics treating symptoms by prescription (referral). There will probably be lots of training in pathology, pharmacology, and medical procedures (sickness as opposed to health and wellness) and the work will be to just reduce symptoms, much like PT’s do now. Massage therapists will do the soft tissue manipulation and will be positioned under PT Assistants. I especially see this happening if we get the government controlled (socialized) healthcare politicians are promising in this campaign.

There is a second tiering, already occurring in our profession. This is the growing gulf between “higher quality” and “lower quality” massage therapists, businesses, and schools. Sadly, the bad is the majority. This will be a real challenge for our profession. Worse case, the bad will blur the line between ethical massage and adult entertainment sparking a scandalous backlash against our profession. It has happened before in our history.

I believe the massage industry of product and equipment producers, vendors and schools will continue to consolidate as big fish eat the little ones. Cheap, crappy products and equipment will be the norm. However, quality high-end and specialty manufacturers along with niche market companies will continue to pop-up and thrive. The serious, long-term professional practitioners will patronize them. Massage education and the connection to our heritage will continue to deteriorate except in a few scattered private schools. These schools will keep the Light burning and train the wellness providers of the future, unless the government-medical-pharmaceutical cartel burns them at the stake.

The good will get better, the bad will get worse, and change will continue, but through it all, massage will survive as the need and demand for ethical, compassionate touch will never end as long as humans inhabit physical bodies.

Ralph Stephens Seminars