08/10/2025
I feel like I need to share this. There are many therapist who strive to show off a trophy 🏆 I even considered entering a competition myself until I looked into it further and realised my own unique techniques would not tick the boxes as a competitor.
The best thing you can do when seeking a professional massage is go by recommendation, experience of the therapist and find someone who is results driven.
👉 Therapeutic Massage vs Competition Massage: What are our definitions?
The General Council for Massage Therapies (GCMT) affirms its support for the diversity of massage applications within therapeutic interactions in complementary healthcare and promotes massage practice that is evidence-informed, collaborative, and client-focused.
Public competitions and showcase events however are typically structured as time sensitive exhibitions, often conducted in busy public venues and assessed primarily on practitioner performance and presentation.
While such events may provide a platform to demonstrate individual skills and techniques, they do not replicate the clinical conditions of therapeutic practice, where the client is the central focus.
Outdated, technique-driven and therapist-dominated approaches to treatment, undermine the modern scientific perspective which emphasises therapeutic alliance, contextual factors, and the client’s beliefs, values, and expectations.
The GCMT recognises that while participation in such events may provide opportunities for self-appraisal, feedback, or reflective learning, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is most effective when it moves beyond a purely technique-focused approach.
The GCMT remains committed to ensuring that CPD is grounded in current evidence and underpinned by collaborative, client-centred principles. It does not endorse public massage competitions as a model of therapeutic practice or as a gateway to teaching CPD.
👉 Definitions from a GCMT perspective
➡️ Therapeutic massage: A professional healthcare service delivered in safe, confidential, and client-focused environments with care that is mutually agreed towards achieving meaningful therapeutic outcomes
➡️ Competition Massage: A performance-based demonstration typically conducted within trade or showcase events and centred on exhibition and judging criteria
