HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a holistic therapist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have no register for holistic therapists. Here are the checks that matter and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a holistic therapist in five steps

  1. Ask which therapy you are bookingReflexology, massage, Reiki — and the training for that one.
  2. Check training and insuranceNo register applies, so these are your checks.
  3. Tell them about your healthMedicines, pregnancy, conditions.
  4. Agree length and priceAnd what is included.
  5. Walk away from cure claimsA holistic therapist works alongside your GP, not instead.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register or licence applies to holistic therapists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. Some holistic therapists join accredited voluntary registers; that is voluntary, not statutory regulation.

Ask the holistic therapist which qualification they hold, who awarded it, and whether they are on a voluntary register you can search.

Insurance

With no register setting the rules, nothing obliges a holistic therapist to hold insurance, so ask. Professional indemnity insurance covers harm from the treatment; public liability covers accidents.

Ask the holistic therapist for the insurer's name and policy dates.

Special treatment licence (London)

London boroughs that adopted Part II of the London Local Authorities Act 1991 license premises offering massage and other special treatments 'of a like kind'; members of some practitioner bodies are exempt. Whether a holistic therapist's treatment counts is the borough's call.

In London, ask the holistic therapist whether the premises hold a special treatment licence or rely on an exemption. legislation.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation

A holistic therapist in business is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 duty of reasonable care and skill applies. The 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not cover leisure services booked for a specific date (regulation 28), so for a one-off session the therapist's own terms usually decide.

Read the cancellation terms before booking and keep the confirmation.

VAT

Holistic therapy is standard-rated at 20%: holistic therapists are not on a statutory register, so the health exemption does not apply. A therapist with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must register, charge VAT and list it separately; under it, none is added.

Ask whether VAT is included and, if it is charged, for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“Which therapies do you offer, and what training do you hold for each?”

A good answer: A named qualification per therapy, not one certificate for everything.

“Which holistic therapy would suit what I want?”

A good answer: An honest suggestion, including 'see your GP first'.

“Are you insured for each therapy?”

A good answer: Yes, with the holistic therapist naming the insurer.

“Do you offer needling or anything that pierces the skin?”

A good answer: If so, the council registration or Welsh licence for it.

“What products do you use or sell?”

A good answer: Named, optional and priced.

“What happens in the session?”

A good answer: A plain description of the holistic therapy, with consent for touch.

“How do I cancel?”

A good answer: Written terms.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends a home visit — the holistic therapist you booked, or a colleague, employed or subcontracted
  • The therapy, the length and the price
  • Products or remedies priced separately
  • Home-visit charge
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on its own line — no statutory register means no health exemption, and a therapist under £90,000 adds nothing
  • Cancellation rules
  • Package expiry

Walk away if

  • Claims to cure illness
  • Advises stopping prescribed treatment
  • One certificate covering every therapy
  • Needling with no licence or council registration
  • No insurance to name
  • Pressure to buy products
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£40
HIGH
£100

What a holistic therapist costs: £30–£100 per session

Holistic therapists charge per session, priced by the therapy and its length. Holistic Therapist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Holistic therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ConsultationHealth, lifestyle and what you hope for.
  2. Choosing the therapyAgreed with you.
  3. TreatmentThe therapy for the time booked.
  4. RelaxationQuiet time afterwards.
  5. AftercareWater, rest and self-care advice.

Holistic
Looking at the whole person rather than one symptom.
Complementary therapy
Used alongside medical care.
Contraindication
A reason not to treat.
Voluntary register
A register a therapist chooses to join.
Special procedure licence
Wales's licence for acupuncture, piercing and similar.
Special Treatments Licence
London's borough licence for massage and similar.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receipt and notesWhich therapy, how long, any advice.
RestAnd talk to your GP about any health concern.
Rebook only if it helpedNo obligation.
Share how it wentA short review of the holistic therapist — punctuality, care, value — is what others read. Use the make-it-right step first if anything needs putting right.

STEP 1Complain to the holistic therapist directlyWrite down the date, the problem and your remedy. A holistic therapist who sells the session is held to reasonable care and skill by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and section 54 lets you insist it is put right without charge, or pay a reduced price.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked holistic therapist below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a holistic therapist. If the holistic therapist will not engage, refer it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the holistic therapist will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a holistic therapist: questions people ask

Not as such — no statutory register applies in any UK nation. London premises offering massage and similar treatments may need a borough licence, and skin-piercing treatments such as acupuncture are licensed locally.

Ask for the qualification for each therapy offered and the insurer; check any voluntary register they name.

Not instead of your doctor. Keep prescribed treatment and talk to your GP.

£30 to £100 a session, typically around £40. The therapy and the session length decide where the price lands. The holistic therapist price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above for prices from holistic therapists near you.

At 20% if the therapist is VAT-registered.

Tell the therapist in writing; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: ReflexologistHow to hire: Reiki PractitionerHow to hire: Massage TherapistHow to hire: Aromatherapy MassageHow to hire: AcupuncturistHow to hire: HomeopathHow to hire: Mindfulness CoachHow to hire: Hot Stone MassageAll 701 hiring guides →

Holistic therapists near you

Holistic therapists in LondonHolistic therapists in ManchesterHolistic therapists in BirminghamHolistic therapists in GlasgowHolistic therapists in BelfastAll holistic therapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — understanding the regulation of psychologists
  2. London Local Authorities Act 1991, Part II — special treatment licences
  3. gov.wales — licensing scheme for special procedures
  4. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.5 Services that are not exempt from VAT (taxable at the standard rate)
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register