Great question! Many insurance companies have additional waivers and education requirements to offer services such as Hot Stone therapy, Prenatal Massage, and even Cupping. While no mainstream massage insurance company is currently requiring extra waivers or testing through their own means for Barefoot Massage coverage, it is still something that you’ll want industry-approved training in before providing to the public. (Because after all, that insurance and your license are in place to protect the public as much as yourself!)
To our knowledge, every professional massage liability insurance company currently on the market covers Barefoot Massage techniques that stay within the scope of practice for LMT’s. We recommend that you call to verify with your specific insurance company if they cover ashiatsu, fijian and other barefoot massage styles in general. Our team of instructors have a variety of different coverages, ranging from ABMP to AMTA, MMIP and others – we have each been covered on our professional liability insurance after our initial training with no hassle.
You are essentially doing myofascial release, trigger point therapy, deep tissue, and various models of stretch therapy in the barefoot massage sessions you provide once we have you trained up: you just HAPPEN to be doing these techniques with your feet!
Work within your scope of practice and training.
Do you have the training and a paper trail of proof to show that you are providing the appropriate standard of care for the massage services you offer? That’s VERY important.
Most massage insurance companies will cover barefoot massage services, provided that your are working within your scope of practice and are providing the appropriate standard of care: So if you stick to what we teach you in class, you are set.
Looking for an insurance company that proudly states upfront that Barefoot Massage is covered?
Check out Massage Magazine’s Insurance Plus (MMIP). We even have a $10 off deal for you!
Here are questions to periodically ask yourself on how you stay protected throughout your long massage career:
- Are you following ethical guidelines as set forth by your state license and professional massage associations you are a member of?
- Are you practicing the techniques as taught in class, as referenced in the study guides provided by that instructor?
- Was that instructor an approved CE provider with the state or NCBTMB?
- Does that instructor have specialty training in that topic/technique, and have they gone the extra mile with Educator Certifications or affiliations with associations in the field?
- Did you learn the technique online or in-person?
- If online, can you follow up that training with some in-person, documented mentorship or additional training?
- How long has it been since your training – and could you use a refresher to stay on par with its standards of care?
- Are the services you provide coming from a place of professionalism and integrity?