Professional masseur / masseuse: training, schools at a glance

The content of the vocational massage therapist courses may vary depending on the school. It is therefore not guaranteed that all providers will cover the same topics. Typical contents of continuing education, further training in massage include:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Biomechanics and pathology
• Pathology and first aid
• Emergency Management
• Full body and partial massages
• Foot reflexology
• Wrap and mud therapy
• Sales and customer service
• Product knowledge and business customer
• Interviewing and psychology
• Prevention and health promotion
• Supervision and in-depth massage techniques (e.g. back and spinal massage)
• Medical terminology and diagnostics
• Introduction to the assessment of findings
• Rehabilitation training for orthopaedic and cardiological problems
• Hygiene and infection theory

These subjects form the basis for a sound education and prepare students for practical work. The individual schools place different emphasis on the content and scope of the vocational masseur / masseuse courses.

Please note: Each school determines its own curriculum, which is why the specific content must be clarified individually. A contact form is available for support, which can be used to forward specific inquiries to the desired school.

Most adult education courses, including continuing, further training to become a professional masseur/masseuse, are designed to be taken alongside your job, allowing you to continue working. Depending on the course you choose, this may not be possible in full, you may have to reduce your workload by a few percent, but many courses are offered in the evenings or at weekends, so that a suitable training concept can be found for everyone.

There are providers who award internal school certificates that qualify you for EMR / ASCA registration and give you, as a professional masseur / masseuse, the opportunity to bill directly via the supplementary health insurance companies. Continuing education, further training as a medical masseur / medical masseuse can also be another option, which also awards a federal certificate.

Find out in advance directly from the individual schools whether the vocational massage therapist course offered complies with the EMR guidelines. Only EMR-compliant courses can be reimbursed by health insurance companies.

As a rule, you do not need any professional experience for a basic course as a professional masseur or masseuse, but you can read about this in detail in the admission conditions and requirements of the massage schools, which they will be happy to send you if you request them via the contact form.