Shiatsu is truly transformational. Finding someone who resonates with you will help you feel a sense of comfort and ease during your Shiatsu treatment. Shiatsu can be learned by anyone. However, this doesn't mean that everyone is qualified to provide a Shiatsu treatment.
When choosing a Shiatsu practitioner, it's important to feel empowered and comfortable to express your needs. Do not hesitate to ask for your practitioner's background, qualifications, experience, specialisations, or anything that might help you make an informed decision. We have received reports from members of short-course providers, private companies, purporting to offer fully “accredited” Shiatsu training in as little as four hours! Please note that the Shiatsu Society does NOT support such training.
Shiatsu Society registered practitioners go through a rigorous training process of more than 1000 hours of study and practice. They are trained and assessed to the highest standards of Shiatsu practice. We hold a register of more than 400 practitioners across the country. Our practitioners abide by our Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics, and are required to complete Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to stay up to date with their practice.
Please note that any ratified Shiatsu Society school would offer the Diploma in Shiatsu – usually the LASER Learning Level 4 Diploma in Shiatsu. This comprehensive programme would take at least 3 years to complete and would consist of 1000 hours of Shiatsu study and practice (500 guided hours, 500 self-paced study hours). The Diploma comes with a dedicated commitment to academic learning but also to personal development, overseen by at least one qualified and experienced, SSUK qualified and endorsed, Shiatsu teacher.
Ideally your chosen Shiatsu practitioner would be a professional member (MrSS, FwSS, SrSS) of the Shiatsu Society UK with a fully up-to-date profile on the SSUK website, complete with evidence of CPD. SSUK professional members have had at least 3 years of training and are required to adhere to SSUK’s Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics which you can read more about here.
As a client, or potential client, you can ask to see evidence of the practitioner’s Diploma in Shiatsu training and any post-graduate certificates. You can also ask to see evidence that they are fully insured for public liability. Shiatsu Society professional members should have their Diploma certificate from their Shiatsu school ready to show clients upon request.
We advise that when making initial contact with a Shiatsu practitioner, or any practitioner, you do your due diligence and trust your intuition.
- Do ask to see their papers and ID.
- Do ask to be put in touch with a satisfied client if you feel unsure (and their client consents to contact).
- Do read reviews from multiple platforms.
- Do ask to speak with the practitioner over the phone, on video call, or even meet them in person in a public place before the first treatment, if this is what it takes for you to feel comfortable and at ease.
Be aware of red flags, which might include: a practitioner being unwilling to show you certificates or insurance details; someone not having means of contact beyond an online booking system; any consistently questionable reviews; or intuitive alarm bells sounding following a phone call or meeting with someone new.
Although Shiatsu, like most complementary therapies, is voluntarily regulated – and therefore SSUK does not have the statutory or regulatory power to intervene when it receives complaints regarding non-member practitioners, or reports of short courses purporting to offer accredited Shiatsu training – our members are eligible to be covered by CNHC (the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council).
CNHC was set up with government support to protect the public by providing a UK voluntary register of health practitioners. CNHC's register has been approved as an Accredited Register by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, a body accountable to Parliament. CNHC members have to comply with an additional code of practice, the CNHC Code of Conduct Ethics and Performance, which you can read more about here.