There are lots of wellness careers out there. They represent a variety of different methods of helping people feel better through non-medicinal or natural means. Based on ancient techniques and beliefs, these holistic careers have been increasing in popularity over the past few years and are not just limited to humans.

One in particular that I find interesting is animal therapy careers. If you enjoy working with pets, but don’t want to be a vet, you can earn your animal therapy certificate and still work with animals on a daily basis.

Have you ever had a massage in a chair? If so, those massage therapists have been specifically trained in chair massage. Yes, there is actually a method to massaging in a chair — you must be effective in a short period of time, you know!

Sound healing studies is also fascinating to me. Those who practice sound healing believe that through music, you can really heal a person. How cool is that?

These are just some wellness careers. Check out more here.

-Amanda Fornecker

I love getting massages. They make me feel so relaxed and refreshed and good about myself. Every once in a while, I like to treat myself. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those individuals who make others feel good about themselves?

Massage therapists are actually in high demand, as more spas and salons continue to offer these services to clients. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that the massage therapy profession will grow faster than the average of all other occupations by the year 2016. People are learning about the benefits of natural therapies, such as massage therapy, and are beginning to take advantage of these services. And the good news is that the average massage therapists could earn up to $24.22 per hour after they’ve completed their massage therapy degree and licensure.

So how do you get started on this exciting career? And where can you get more information? There are a plethora of resources out there, but here are a few to get you started…

Costs of a Massage Therapy Degree
Massage Career on a Cruise Line
What You’ll Really Learn at Massage School
Your Top Five Questions About Spa Schools

-Amanda Fornecker

Thinking about spa school? That’s pretty much what we do here at SpaBeautySchools all the time! Let us help you take the guesswork out of it and get you started. Here are a few selected spa schools you may be interested in checking out. You should also check out our Facebook Fan Page for more school suggestions! Become our fan and follow us on Twitter – we’re all up on the technology (and the great spa schools)! Good luck in your search!

Academy of Massage Therapy – You can become an expert massage practitioner with a healing arts education. It’s located in Hackensack, New Jersey, and is a great place to begin your journey in becoming a certified massage therapist or certified clinical massage therapist.

American Institute of Holistic Theology – Located in the South, this holistic theology school offers preparation for a variety of spa careers to its students. By combining knowledge in metaphysics, divinity, parapsychic science, and more, spa students at this school get to learn a great deal about the holistic field.

Clayton College – For a spa school with a diverse curriculum and distance learning education opportunities, Clayton College can certainly give you what you need for your impending spa career. With iridology, herbal studies, naturopathy, and other natural health subjects, Clayton College provides many options.

Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute – NAMTI, as the Northern Arizona Massage Therapy Institute is better known, is a well-known massage therapy school. Providing training in massage an bodywork, NAMTI has been around for a while and is accredited to provide students with their massage therapy degrees.

Ohio College of Massotherapy – Massage therapy is a career that can help a lot of different people feel good about themselves. The Ohio College of Massotherapy provides students with a massage education that will lead to diplomas and degrees. In fact, there’s even an online associate degree program for massage therapy, giving you many different options to pursue your massage education.

-Amanda Fornecker

Reflexology is an ancient art practiced by early Egyptians and still today, is an excellent bodywork therapy for stimulating the body’s natural healing capabilities. It is a science and philosophy founded on the basis that certain areas of the feet, hands and ears are comprised of “zones” and reflex points. These reflex points correspond to all glands, organs, and other bodily systems.

Reflexology is a bodywork technique whereby pressure is applied to these specific reflex zones. Using thumb, finger and hand methods, reflexology encourages physiological healing and restoration in the body. This, in turn, restores natural balance and results in overall stress reduction. Though it is not intended to cure diseases, reflexology is valuable in locating high stress or tension areas in the body; and can help alleviate many common health conditions like fibromyalgia, and other musculoskeletal problems. Since three-quarters of all health problems are somehow related to stress, reflexology could prove invaluable in this day and age.