Nicola Hogan Massage & Mentor

10/09/2026

Today I opened the window, nothing like fresh airflow.

This is seriously my new favourite thing about my massage room.

No need for music because the chorus from the birds provided the nicest soundtrack

I really don’t know how I worked in a tiny windowless room for two years…

09/09/2026

I love that so many of my clients are active; they swim, play tennis, do yoga or pilates, garden regularly and generally take good care of themselves.

But the one thing I would like to see more of is this:

⚖️ B A L A N C E ⚖️

Everyone can benefit from regular balance training, even better if you add some strength in the mix.

Ultimately, your future health is your responsibility.

A monthly remedial massage is only one part of your health journey.

It is not going to fix you, but it will help to maintain you so you can keep doing the things you want.

Everything else is up to you in the choices you make every day.

05/09/2026

There was a time when I thought I needed a more medical qualification to prove I was a professional.

During COVID, while I was taking a break from massage therapy, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (Nursing). And I loved studying it.

Anatomy and physiology. Research. Theory. Writing assignments. I was getting High Distinctions and thoroughly enjoying studying at university level.

Then, when I returned to work as a remedial massage therapist, this time in a wellness centre attached to an aged care facility, something interesting started happening.

When I spoke with nurses and other health professionals, I felt like my nursing degree somehow gave me greater credibility.

Yes, I was a remedial massage therapist with years of experience.

But now I was also a nursing student. And that seemed to mean something. It also made me uncomfortable.

Why did studying nursing suddenly make my existing knowledge and experience more legitimate?

Why wasn't being an experienced massage therapist enough?

I've been thinking about this again after reading an article recently that made the distinction between massage therapy as a health profession rather than a medical profession.

One line in particular stayed with me:

“Not being a medical profession is not a limitation. It's a scope.”

I think sometimes, in our desire to demonstrate the value of massage therapy, we can slip into increasingly medicalised language.

We give complicated explanations for pain. We make claims about what our techniques are doing inside someone's body that we may not actually be able to substantiate.

Sometimes we make massage sound far more complicated than it needs to be, even though massage therapy doesn't need to become more medical to become more legitimate.

Knowing our scope doesn't diminish our
professionalism. It demonstrates it.

And maybe I needed to spend a couple of years studying nursing to finally understand that.

04/09/2026

Masseur, masseuse or massage therapist — do the words really matter?

YES
�Our work involves education, skill, ethics, boundaries and professional standards.
�👉 Please call us massage therapists. 👈

https://www.facebook.com/share/19MbcvPAsg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Masseur, masseuse or massage therapist: do the words matter?

‘Masseur’ and ‘masseuse’ were once accepted professional titles. Derived from French, ‘masseur’ referred to a man who provided massage and ‘masseuse’ to a woman. They were not originally derogatory and did not imply sexual services or poor training.

In Britain, the Society of Trained Masseuses was established in 1894 following the Victorian ‘massage scandals’. At a time when massage had become associated with prostitution, trained practitioners wanted to distinguish legitimate professional practice from disreputable activity.

The organisation later developed into what is now the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). Its history reminds us that ‘masseuse’ once carried genuine professional standing. However, language and its social meaning change.

During the twentieth century, ‘massage parlour’ became widely used as a euphemism for establishments associated with sexual services. Against this cultural background, ‘masseuse’, and ‘masseur’, acquired connotations that many modern massage therapists now find sexualised and professionally diminishing.

The problem became particularly visible during Covid. English regulations and UK Government announcements repeatedly classified legitimate massage services under ‘massage parlours’. Many qualified massage therapists felt this language failed to recognise their education, professional responsibilities and standards of practice.

The older terms also continue to appear in current journalism, including some BBC reporting. Their use is particularly unhelpful when the report itself concerns inappropriate or sexualised behaviour towards massage therapists. Referring to those professionals as ‘masseurs’ or ‘masseuses’ does nothing to clarify the professional identities, boundaries and standards at the centre of the story.

Not everyone who uses these words intends disrespect. Some people know them only in their original sense, while some practitioners and organisations continue to use them as traditional occupational titles.

The General Council for Manual Therapies nevertheless asks journalists, editors, employers, organisations and members of the public to use ‘massage therapist’.

It is clear, gender neutral and better reflects the education, skill, ethical responsibilities and professional standards expected within modern massage therapy.

A title cannot prove someone’s competence, and using an older term does not automatically indicate disrespect.

However, language influences how a profession is understood.

Words change. Professional recognition matters.

👉Please call us massage therapists.👈



The Sports Massage Association Scottish Manual Therapists Organisation LCSP Register of Remedial Masseurs & Manipulative Therapists Complementary Health Professionals Massage Training Institute - MTI

02/09/2026

Don’t worry, I’m not looking to retire my hands yet 😉

This is a reflective article on a massage therapist mentiring session I had recently.

I’d love you to have a read 👇🏻

https://open.substack.com/pub/beneaththetouch/p/should-i-stop-being-a-massage-therapist?r=2ly740&utm_medium=ios

31/08/2026

Happy 1st of September 🌞
The birds are singing, the veggies are thriving and I think I may have successfully defeated the rabbits with my fencing 🤞🏻
I’m loving this view.
It’s so nice to look up from a treatment and see the garden.
It’s my favourite place to go between clients 💚

31/08/2026

After 25+ years at the massage table, I think people need human connection more than ever.

Yes, people come for the sore shoulder, the tight back, the headache, or simply because they need to relax.

But for an hour, they also have another human being completely present with them.

Someone who listens. Who notices. Who cares. And who offers touch without asking anything in return.

No notifications. No scrolling. No performing. No need to be anywhere else.

Just one human being, present with another.

I think that’s the part of massage therapy we underestimate most.

The humanity of touch.

28/08/2026

I am a massage therapist, not a medical professional, and I am certainly not an expert in endocrinology or pharmacology.

I hold no position on whether people should or should not use GLP-1 medicines or other peptide products. That is a conversation for clients and their appropriately qualified healthcare professionals.

This article is an educational discussion about their increasing use, the possible ways they may affect a massage treatment and the importance of regularly checking for changes to medications, supplements and injectable treatments.

It is not medical advice, nor does it recommend or promote any particular product.

https://open.substack.com/pub/beneaththetouch/p/peptides-in-the-massage-room?r=2ly740&utm_medium=ios

26/08/2026

Something I find myself reminding massage therapists I mentor:

👉🏻You don’t have to fix everything in one treatment.

👉🏻You don’t have to use every technique you know.

👉🏻You don’t have to chase every tight muscle you find.

👉🏻You don’t need to discount your massage or give it away for free just to get new clients through the door.

👉🏻And you definitely don’t need to leave your client feeling like they’ve been done over by a road roller to prove you did a good job. 😂

Becoming a better massage therapist isn’t about doing more. It’s learning to assess, listen, respond, know your value and know when enough is enough.

If any of this sounds familiar, I currently have space for a small number of massage therapists looking for mentoring.

Sometimes it helps to have someone experienced in your corner to bounce it all off.