Green flags to look for when booking a massage therapist.

(From the perspective of someone who truly values the therapeutic relationship, who has been and continues to be a client and who is also a massage therapist.)

Over the years, I’ve learned that massage therapy is so much more than just hands-on work. It’s about creating a space where people feel safe enough to soften, physically, emotionally, and mentally.

When you’re looking for a massage therapist, there are a few green flags that can make all the difference in how supported and respected you feel. These are the things I try to bring into my own practice every day but also what i look out for when i book for a treatment.

Creating a Trauma-Informed Environment

Being trauma-informed doesn’t mean assuming someone has trauma, it means recognising that everyone carries life experiences in their body, and those experiences can show up in different ways.

It’s about slowing down, explaining what to expect, offering choice, and checking in often. I always want clients to know that they have autonomy and control. Whether it’s pressure, positioning, draping, or even taking a break.

Asking Relevant Questions and Building a Thorough Consultation

A good consultation is about more than ticking boxes. It’s about understanding the person in front of me.

That means exploring medical history, but also asking access questions:

• Are there any adjustments that would make you feel more comfortable?

• Do you identify as neurodivergent and if so, how can i as the massage therpaist adjust and support you in this space.

• If you have a disability, what’s the best way for me to support your journey through the clinic space?

• If there is any additional access requirements, what are they and how can i meet them.

  
  

These conversations allow me to meet you where you are, rather than expecting you to fit into a rigid idea of what a massage “should” look like.

Feeling Heard and Building Therapeutic Alliance

One of the most healing parts of massage therapy is simply being heard. That sense of alliance, of being in it together. This can sometimes get lost when therapists feel rushed or stuck in a routine.

Every person who walks through the door deserves a fresh approach. Listening deeply to what’s being said (and not said) helps shape the treatment in a way that honours what the client actually needs that day. It also all adds up to how the treatment will support the client infront of us.

Informed Consent and Keeping It Fluid

Informed consent isn’t a form you sign; it’s an ongoing dialogue.

Sometimes, the plan we agree on at the start of a session doesn’t feel right once we begin. Maybe the pressure feels too deep, or maybe your body responds differently than expected. That’s completely okay. It’s my job as the therapist to notice, adapt, and support you in real time.

You always have the right to change your mind and a trauma-informed therapist will encourage that.

Communication, Clinical Reasoning, and Collaboration

Transparency is part of building trust. I like to explain what I’m doing and why, whether it’s a technique, a stretch, or a way of working with the nervous system.

Collaboration means setting goals together. It also means respecting when someone wants silence for the rest of the treatment. Listening doesn’t stop when the hands start working.

Meeting You Where You’re At

Instead of having a set routine for every client, I prefer to have a loose framework and then adapt based on what’s needed that day.

Maybe you thought you wanted focus work, but you actually just need to rest. That’s okay, that’s the work.

Meeting people where they are is the heart of a truly therapeutic massage and healing.

Final Thoughts

The green flags in massage therapy aren’t just about technical skill, they’re about empathy, awareness, and presence. A good therapist doesn’t just treat muscles; they hold space for a person is what i have learnt. I may be 4 years a massage therapist, but im 13 years a client and im 30 years a human being and therefore all of these experiences enable me to see what makes a healing space and what doesnt. My most profound healing has happened in a space where the therapist has shown up like everything above and more. The times where i havent had the best experiences are times where ive not been heard, ive been kept safe, ive not been asked the relevant questions and ive not been met where i was at when i showed up on the day.

When you find someone who listens, adapts, and collaborates with you, you’ve found a practitioner who truly honours the healing potential of touch and i know this makes a huge difference in our healing and wellbeing.

I hope this helps someone

Bethany wynn

Advanced clinical massage therapist based online an in London