A massage course in English

It is always a challenge to give the right amount of information. It is possible that you still have some questions. Here are the main ones that people ask. Please don’t hesitate to mail with anything else.

1. Do it get a diploma and can I start my own practice?

Strangely enough, in this superorganized country, anyone can call him- or herself a masseur and in principle set up a ‘massage practice’. But there are laws and you would need insurance (even though relatively little can go wrong) once you start accepting payment for massage, and the bottom line is a diploma recognized by the Dutch government. Most masseurs in the Netherlands have a diploma that is gained after 150 classroom hours and two exams. This really is the minimum. It is less than some countries require, but in practice it is sufficient to get going. What Touch is offering is a beginners’ course of just 22 hours and no exam, so you’ll understand that this does not count. You receive a certificate of attendance, but nothing more. The course does give you a very solid foundation for further study elsewhere, however, especially if this is likely to be a correspondence course with relatively little hands-on work. We do not know of an advanced study programme in English in the Netherlands.

2. Do I have to undress?

Classical massage is done on the bare skin, so the part of the body we’re working on is bare. The short answer is therefore: yes. On the other hand, we realize fully that this is no problem for some people but quite a barrier for others. We do everything we can to create an environment in which you can feel secure, so that in the end it’s no different from, for example, visiting a sauna. We are discreet, but practical. It’s a very busy course, so at the end of the day it’s a case of just getting on with the business in hand and the bare bit just falls into perspective. It has always worked well. Although we have a naturist sister-practice, the Touch Natuur foundation, we do keep these approaches quite separate: just in case you are still in doubt.

3. How large is a group and how old?

The maximum group size is 14, but 10 to 12 is quite common. Eight is the minimum. We’re allergic to age matters, but the English-language groups tend to be younger than average, say an average of 35–40 years. This is an estimate, as we never ask. It’s not information that’s relevant as far as we are concerned.

4. So am I too young or old?

We have no minimum or maximum age limit. If you are older, just consider realistically your capacity to learn a lot of new things in a short time and also be realistic about your coordination skills and your health in general. The decision is, however, up to you.

5. How does practising go?

You can compare learning massage with learning the piano. Without practice the course will just be a waste of your time and money, and you are letting your fellow students down. With some luck you have people in your circle of friends who will be ‘willing victims’ (though if you are new to the Netherlands, we realize that this can be a bit limited). Practising with other students on your course is, however, even better, as you can give each other feedback. Working in a group of three is also a good idea: the two people massaging can give even better feedback to each other and the person lying can also help even more. In any event, you should aim for at least one practice session per week. It’s easiest to make appointments during the course evening itself. A spin-off is that massage is a great way to make new friends.

6. May I attend with a friend, or is this in fact compulsory?

Of course two friends are most welcome. It is, however, a basic principle of our courses that students work with a different partner each session. This is important for the atmosphere of the course and especially for the learning process: for you to get experience with varying types of body. So even if you attend with a friend, you’ll be working with a different person each evening. You practise on each other, which means that a ‘model’ is not necessary. (So you can attend alone, which most people do.) If the group is uneven, we arrange for a stand-in to make up the even number. This is someone who has followed one of our courses in the past.

7. Can there be medical reasons for not massaging or being massaged?

There are various contraindications for receiving massage. If you suffer from any condition which makes you doubt about the advisability of being massaged, do consult your family physician. Say that you will be undergoing strokes and kneading. Do this in case of the slightest doubt. The massage you will be learning has quite a profound effect on the body. For giving massage there are fewer contraindications. You do need to be in good health, and a physical or mental handicap can make things difficult – the course centre is, for example, unfortunately not wheelchair-accessible. Although massaging is in itself not really hard work if properly done, the course evenings are intensive and quite tiring.

8. What happens if I have to cancel suddenly?

You’ll see our conditions on the on-line registration form and we need you to agree to these. As is always the case with courses, holidays, whatever, cancelling becomes more expensive the closer the beginning of the course comes. Organizers have to be able to depend on their participants. But we look at every case individually and often something can be worked out. We can, however, give no guarantee. You will not find a course organizer who does.

9. Do I have to pay now?

In principle you are required to pay for the course when you receive the letter confirming attendance. (If, for example, the course was full, we would not admit you anyway. In other words, there is no chance that you pay and get nothing.) If, however, your registration is really early, we will name in the confirmation letter a month in which we would like payment, much closer to the beginning of the course. You can also pay in instalments: a sum immediately (or in the month quoted) and instalments later, the only restriction being that the complete course fee needs to have been paid by the beginning of the course. You find details for payment in the confirmation letter. Naturally, should a course not go ahead for any reason whatsoever, the money you have paid will be returned immediately. We are very strict about this.