Safety and good practice

Massage is a safe, regulated-by-reputation profession, and almost every booking is uneventful. The few problems we hear about follow the same patterns, and nearly all of them are avoidable before you book.

If you are booking

• Check the listing states qualifications, and ask about them if it does not. A professional therapist will happily tell you where they trained and show a certificate or insurance document on request.
• Agree the treatment, the duration and the rate in writing before you go. A price that only appears once you arrive is a warning sign.
• Tell the therapist about injuries, pregnancy, skin conditions, medication and recent surgery. Some treatments are unsuitable in certain conditions, and a good therapist will ask.
• Never pay a deposit by bank transfer to an account you cannot verify, or in gift cards or cryptocurrency. That is the standard pattern for scams and the money does not come back.
• Be wary of listings whose photos appear elsewhere under another name. A reverse image search takes ten seconds.
• A professional treatment is professional throughout. If anything makes you uncomfortable, say so; you can end a session at any time, and you should report conduct that crosses a line.

If you advertise

• Keep your qualifications and insurance current and be ready to show them. Membership of a professional body such as the CNHC, the FHT or the Sports Massage Association reassures clients and is worth stating on your listing.
• Take a short consultation before every treatment and keep brief notes; it protects the client and it protects you.
• Confirm bookings by message so there is a written record of what was agreed, and state your cancellation policy clearly.
• For mobile appointments, share your location and expected finish time with someone you trust, and agree a check-in.
• Do not publish your exact home address on your listing; give it on confirmation.
• Report any enquiry that asks for anything other than a professional massage. We remove clients' access and will support you in reporting it.

Qualifications in the UK

Massage therapy is not statutorily regulated in the UK, which means anyone can call themselves a massage therapist. The recognised route is a Level 3 diploma (ITEC, VTCT or City & Guilds) in massage, with Level 4 and 5 qualifications for sports and clinical work, and voluntary registration with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Every listing here declares its qualifications, and the verified badge means we have seen evidence of them.

Who to contact

• Emergency: 999.
• Police, non-urgent: 101.
• Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040, for scams and fake bookings.
• Modern Slavery Helpline: 08000 121 700, confidential, 24 hours, if you believe someone is working under coercion.
• Massage Radar: report a listing. We review every report within 24 hours.