Does gua sha require certification?

What exactly is Gua Shao?

Is it certified in any way? I have not found anything, anywhere. Can it be used as an alternative to the traditional gua sha routine? I'm in Canada by the way. Thanks for reading!

I think there are two schools of thought about gua sha: That it is a valid approach to training, but not that useful. The first school thinks that it has merits in helping to develop "softness," or connective tissue elasticity. There are good points and bad points with it, like many other things we do in BJJ. For me, it is like going to the gym--once a week is plenty for my purposes. I want the "hard" strength gains, not the soft ones.

The second school of thought seems to hold that gua sha is just too simple and not practical to bother training. It's very much a question of whether the approach is more an exercise in meditation than a martial art. To the second school, gua sha and its many forms have limited application. While there is merit in many of the exercises, some of the forms and postures have no direct relevance to self-defense. For me, while it has benefits in developing a sense of ease and awareness, it loses its luster once one reaches a place where one does not have to rely on what the form requires, like most people do once they reach black belt.

In terms of the actual form that is supposed to be done at this level, there are two schools of thought. One is that gua sha should be a set of drills that are focused on working on single joints--the hips, knees, ankles, and wrists. The other school of thought says that when you get to the level where your joints don't break down anymore, you are to stop doing joint/muscular work, and focus on using muscles against muscle, like the "mixed techniques" work.

In addition, the schools of thought vary on how hard you are supposed to push with each exercise. A lot of schools would say that you can only exert up to 30% of your muscle torque, and that you stop at that point to prevent damaging your joints, tendons, and ligaments. Others might suggest that you can go higher, but there is a point of diminishing returns.

Can you practice massage without a license in California?

I've been licensed in California for over 8 years, and yes you can practice massage without a license.

However, as of January 2025, the law changed and it now requires a license from the state in order to legally practice massage. You can find more information at this site. Edit: this is an important detail since it may be different in other states. You cannot practice massage without a license. The California Department of Public Health has a list of who has a massage license. A number of massage schools have licenses from the California Board of Massage Therapy. They can tell you if you are eligible.

Do I need a business license for massage in California?

I am going to California in March for a week to give a massage and I would like to make sure I do not need a business license.

Is it a misdemeanor? Asked by: JK. There are different types of massage licenses in California. You would need a massage license in order to give massage services to clients.

Answering these questions is a great way to find out if you need a license. Click here for more information about the different types of licenses in California.

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