DOH urges public: Choose spas with licensed massage therapists

CEBU, Philippines - With the aim of giving massage therapists a more dignified reputation, the Department of Health and a massage therapy training institution yesterday urged the public to avail the services of massage parlors and spas with duly licensed massage therapists.

DOH Environmental and Occupational Health Coordinator Engr. Evangeline Canoneo said they will no longer issue licenses and permits to massage parlors and spas if not all of their massage therapists have licenses.

Canoneo cited an administrative order which requires massage therapists to secure a license from DOH in order to practice massage therapy in the country.

Presidential Decree No. 856 states that a masseur must be registered with a certificate issued by the Health Department’s Committee on Examiners for Masseurs.

Canoneo said the DOH wants to uphold the massage therapy profession by promoting and standardizing the licensure exam for massage therapists.

“We want to have a positive connotation of massage parlors. We want to uplift the profession of these kinds of workers,” Canoneo said during the weekly media forum held at the Kamagong Conference Room at the DOH.

International Nkyr Academy (INA) executive officer Maria Teresa Tatara said it is very important for every massage clinic, spa and sauna to all have licensed massage therapists manning their establishments.

INA is a Cebu-based massage-therapy review and training center.

Tatara also pointed out that many takers of licensure exams have difficulty grappling with the subject as most of them are only high school graduates.

According to Tatara, it would be of great advantage if the massage therapist is at least college-level because of the very structured training which includes courses on Anatomy, Physiology and Micropathology among others.

At INA, students undergo four to six weeks of lectures and class work with 60 hours of on-the-job training (OJT) to further hone their skills. –(FREEMAN)