Feel Better.

Focus:
Spa massages focuses on relaxation; while a RMT’s goal is to treat your health concerns;

Atmosphere:
The spa atmosphere is to put you at ease; clinics are designed more for functionality than luxury;

Training:
A massage practitioner working in a spa will have training from a college or a school of aesthetics; at British Columbia, a RMT needs to attend college for 2 years and pass the CMTBC certification.

Costs:
At a spa, massages are usually priced by the hour and tips are expected.Massages at spas are not covered by medical insurance. Clinical massages are priced according to the recommended fee schedule issued by the Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia. The costs are qualified for insurance coverage.

Registered Massage Therapists, physiotherapists, and chiropractors are often lumped into the same category of health care because they share some general similarities.

• They use their hands to examine, diagnose, and treat patients
• They understand how the body is structured and seek to release tension in the muscles and joints to facilitate healing
• They exist to help relieve pain and promote health and wholeness in the body

Distinctions:

Registered Massage Therapists
RMTs mainly manipulate soft-tissue (muscles, ligaments, and fascia) to relieve tension and relax the muscles.

Physiotherapists
Most physiotherapists will treat patients using a combination of massage, rehabilitative exercises, and manual therapy.

Chiropractors
Chiropractors treat pain by looking for places where the nerves are being impacted by the spine or joints being out of alignment (called subluxations) and performing manipulations to realign the body.

Massage therapy can benefit nurses by reducing stress-related symptoms such as sleep loss and anxiety. A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice completed a pilot study involving 38 nurses. A weekly 15-minute chair massage was given to the participants. Their stress level was measured five weeks into the massage intervention, and again at 10 weeks. By the end of the 10 weeks, the study reported a significant improvement in stress-related symptoms among the nurses.

Many hard-working nurses work long shifts standing on their feet and handling patients. This can often cause injury, which leads to severe physical pain. According to National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, healthcare professionals, especially nurses, have 4 times as many back injuries than any other type of workers. If your back pain is bothering you, adding massage therapy treatments into your wellness routine can assist you in your healing process.

In British Columbia, most nurses are covered by a generous insurance plan that allows them to receive massage therapy at an affordable price point.