Practice patterns of massage therapists.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the practice patterns of licensed massage therapists (LMTs).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SUBJECTS

One hundred and twenty-six (126) massage practices randomly selected from the Greater Boston Area yellow pages.

OUTCOMES MEASURES

Practitioner demographics, training, practice characteristics, and fees.

RESULTS

The response rate was 65%. Most respondents were Caucasian (95%) and female (80%). Their mean age was 41 years old. Half held a college degree; on average, practitioners received 1000 hours of training in massage therapy. The majority were in group practices (59%) and saw an average of 20 patients per week. The typical visit lasted 50-60 minutes; the cost was $60 and rarely covered by insurance (5%). Half of respondents offered sliding scales to patients, but only 11% accepted Medicaid patients. Respondents reported less than 1 visit per week from pediatric and adolescent patients (<21 years old).

CONCLUSIONS

Most LMTs are female and Caucasian. The costs of massage therapy are almost entirely paid out-of-pocket by patients (95%). LMTs infrequently care for children.