HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

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

Sports massage therapists are not registered by any UK regulator. Here are the checks, when to see a physiotherapist instead, and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a sports massage therapist in five steps

  1. Ask about sports massage trainingA named qualification, the awarding body and the insurer.
  2. Know when you need a physioAn acute injury or pain that is getting worse needs an HCPC-registered physiotherapist.
  3. Tell them about training and racesRecent sessions, your next race, injuries and medicines.
  4. Agree length and focus30, 45 or 60 minutes on the areas that matter.
  5. Time it around eventsNot deep work the day before a race.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register or licence applies to sports massage therapists as people in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. Some sports massage therapists join accredited voluntary registers; that is a choice, not regulation. What the law does protect is health titles: a sports massage therapist may not call themselves a physiotherapist unless they are on the HCPC Register.

Ask the sports massage therapist for the qualification, who awarded it and when, and check with that body.

Special treatment licence (London)

In Greater London (not the City of London) the borough licenses premises used for massage with a Special Treatments Licence, under Part II of the London Local Authorities Act 1991 where the borough has adopted it; members of some practitioner bodies are exempt. Outside London, the council licences in England cover skin piercing and acupuncture, not massage.

In London, ask the sports massage therapist whether the premises hold a special treatment licence or which exemption applies; a mobile therapist working in your home is a question for the borough. gov.uk →

Insurance

No register sets an insurance requirement for a sports massage therapist, so ask. Public liability insurance covers injury or damage; professional indemnity covers harm from the treatment itself.

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

Trader status and cancellation terms

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

Read the cancellation and late-arrival terms before you book, and keep the confirmation.

VAT

Sports massage is standard-rated at 20%; massage therapists are not on a statutory register, so the health exemption does not reach them. A therapist or clinic over £90,000 must charge VAT and show it as its own line; one below the threshold charges none.

Ask whether event or clinic prices include VAT, and for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“What sports massage qualification do you hold?”

A good answer: A named qualification and body, and what level it is.

“Are you a physiotherapist?”

A good answer: An honest 'no' — or an HCPC number if they are. A sports massage therapist should not present as one.

“Would you send me to a physiotherapist for this?”

A good answer: Yes for an acute injury, swelling, or pain that keeps worsening.

“How close to my race is sports massage sensible?”

A good answer: Lighter work just before an event; deeper work a few days out.

“Do you use taping or dry needling, and is it extra?”

A good answer: Priced separately — and for needling, training they can name.

“What should I do afterwards?”

A good answer: Stretches, foam rolling and how soon to train hard again.

“In London, are the premises licensed?”

A good answer: The borough licence or the exemption.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the sports massage therapist you booked or a colleague at the event or clinic, employed or subcontracted
  • Session length and focus areas
  • Taping or other add-ons priced
  • Mobile or event travel charge
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% shown separately on the sports massage bill
  • Cancellation rules
  • Package prices and expiry

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a physio without HCPC registration
  • Treats an acute injury rather than referring you
  • Deep work the day before your race without asking
  • No insurance to name
  • Promises to 'fix' an injury
  • Unlicensed London premises
LOW
£45
TYPICAL
£65
HIGH
£85

What a sports massage therapist costs: £45–£85 per session

Sports massage is priced by session length; taping and mobile visits are usually extra. Sports Massage 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

Sports massage therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

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

  1. AssessmentTraining load, injuries and tight areas.
  2. Warm-upLighter strokes to prepare the muscles.
  3. Sports massageDeep work, stretching and soft tissue release.
  4. Targeted areasLegs, back or shoulders as agreed.
  5. Self-care adviceStretches and foam rolling between sessions.

Soft tissue release
Pressure while a muscle is moved, to ease tightness.
Kinesiology tape
Stretchy tape applied to skin, usually charged extra.
Dry needling
Fine needles in tight muscle — needs specific training.
Pre-event massage
Short, lighter work before competition.
Physiotherapist
A protected HCPC title — not the same as a sports massage therapist.
Special Treatments Licence
London's borough licence for massage premises.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the notesWhat was worked on, for your next session or a physiotherapist.
Ease back inLight training for a day after deep sports massage.
See a physio if pain persistsPain that does not settle is a job for an HCPC-registered physiotherapist.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked sports massage therapist can be reviewed on Locufy, so your words carry weight. If the sports massage therapist got something wrong, use the make-it-right step first.

STEP 1Tell the sports massage therapist in writingKeep it to the date, what happened and the remedy you want. The duty of reasonable care and skill in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 binds any sports massage therapist in business, and if the massage missed it, section 54 entitles you to have it put right free or to pay less.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked sports massage 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, or the boroughNo regulator covers a sports massage therapist. If London premises are operating without a special treatment licence, tell the borough's licensing team; otherwise refer a sports massage therapist who will not engage 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 sports massage 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 sports massage therapist: questions people ask

No. No statutory register applies to sports massage therapists in any UK nation; London massage premises usually need a borough licence.

No. 'Physiotherapist' is protected and needs HCPC registration; see one for an acute or worsening injury.

Ask for the qualification and awarding body and check with that body; ask about insurance.

£45 to £85 a session, typically around £65. Longer sessions and event or mobile visits cost more. For the detail, open the sports massage price guide; for real quotes, put your town in the search above.

At 20% if the therapist is VAT-registered; massage is outside the health exemption.

Stop, see a physiotherapist or GP, and tell the therapist in writing; a therapist in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: Sports PhysiotherapyHow to hire: Sports TherapistHow to hire: Deep Tissue MassageHow to hire: Massage TherapistHow to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: Running CoachHow to hire: Strength & Conditioning CoachHow to hire: Personal TrainerAll 701 hiring guides →

Sports massage therapists near you

Sports massage therapists in LondonSports massage therapists in ManchesterSports massage therapists in BirminghamSports massage therapists in GlasgowSports massage therapists in BelfastAll sports massage therapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales; Special Treatments Licence in London)
  2. London Local Authorities Act 1991, Part II — special treatment licences
  3. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  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 Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  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