How Massage Schools Teach The Most Critical Skill Most Clients Never See
When you think about a massage appointment, what comes to mind?
Maybe something like this: you walk into the room, get on the table, receive a massage, and leave. Sound familiar? For many people, that's the typical experience. But what if we told you that this approach doesn't meet the professional standard of care massage therapists are trained to provide?
To become a licensed massage therapist in 46 of the 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, practitioners must pass the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx). Notably, 17% of that exam assesses the therapist’s knowledge of client assessment. That’s a significant portion — and for good reason.
Assessment helps the massage therapist determine how best to support a client’s goals—or when to recognize that the client may need medical or even emergency care. A not-so-fun fact: headaches and neck pain are sometimes early signs of a stroke. Scary, right? Thankfully, most cases aren’t that serious—but this is one of many medical concerns that trained massage therapists are taught to screen for. So what does a massage assessment actually look like? It can vary slightly from client to client and session to session, but key components are consistently included:
Consultation and health history review
Visual inspection to identify safety concerns
Postural and gait analysis, when appropriate
Palpation and orthopedic testing to locate and understand problem areas
Range of motion assessment to identify movement restrictions
Without proper assessment, massage therapy becomes guesswork. At Carolina School of Bodywork, we don’t just train students to pass the MBLEx — we train them to think critically, assess thoroughly, and deliver the highest standard of care to every client they serve.
