Do you want to be a massage therapist?

Are you good with your hands and want to become a massage therapist?

Nuncia Pereira has been in the industry for 16 years and has been managing salons for the past seven years in Strubenvale and in Fifth Street.

Her business is known as Periche Spa and Beauty in Fifth Street and the Addie spoke to her about becoming a massage therapist.

If you are in high school and want to be a massage therapist, make sure you have biology as a subject. This is really the only subject you need to focus on for massage therapy.

Training is provided to you during the course of studying.

The ideal place to apply for the course would be at any beauty facility that is beneficial to your needs.

To be qualified in just massage therapy, the course is a mere six weeks, costing more or less between R6 000 to R8 000 depending on the institution where you want to study.

If you choose to do a more intensive studying course, it ranges from six months to two years, involving somatology and dermatology.

If you are qualified, and you want to start your own business, it is definitely possible.

Some of the subjects you will be focusing on during your study period is reflexology, physiology and anatomy.

Nuncia advises newly qualified massage therapists to apply to cruise ships or hospitality businesses as they are always on the lookout for massage therapists, as she herself spent four years on a cruise line as a spa and fitness manager and is internationally qualified by the London Steiner Spa World, which is one of the biggest spa companies in the world.

She said that this is a perfect way to gain the necessary experience.

Massage therapy is very healthy for the body and is especially recommended for persons who suffer from stress.

According to Nuncia, the hospitality environment is an easy market for all graduates to get into, with a good starting salary as well.

Nuncia also says the best way to get into the market, is through recruitment agencies, as hotels and other companies mostly work through them.

It is indeed a rejuvenation for the body and there are many types of massages to choose from depending on your current health issues, such as Thai reflexology, for medical problems like back pains and a struggling metabolism, aromatherapy massages, where they use different kinds of herbs for relaxation and sport massages which is a more intensive deep tissue massage.

And then hot stones, which is a volcanic rock keeping in heat, and hot pads, for those who do not like the stones. These two treatments reach seven times deeper into the muscles as a normal massage.

So if you are uncertain of what you want to do after leaving school, this is definitely an option worth considering.