What is a massage intake form?
A massage intake form is a health questionnaire and consent document that a client completes before her first session. It gives you a medical snapshot, shows what she hopes to get from the treatment, and records her informed consent to touch.
For a therapist, it has one very practical purpose: identifying contraindications. Some conditions mean massage must be adapted, delayed or referred to a doctor first. Blood clots are the best-known example, where deep pressure could cause serious harm, but fever, infection, certain skin conditions and some medications matter too.
What to include
Your form should balance safety with a reasonable length. Focus on what changes your treatment.
- Contact and emergency details, and optionally her doctor.
- Her reason for visiting and the areas that hurt, so you can plan the session.
- Pressure preference and anywhere she does not want to be touched.
- Health history covering circulation, blood pressure, cancer treatment, recent surgery or injury, infection, skin conditions and pregnancy.
- Medication, especially blood thinners, steroids and pain relief that can mask pain.
- Allergies to oils, nuts and fragrances.
- Informed consent: she understands what massage is, how draping works and that she can stop at any time.
- Accuracy statement, cancellation policy, signature and date.
An open box for "anything else" often surfaces the most useful information.
When to use it
Ask every new client to complete the form before the first session, ideally ten minutes before her appointment so you can read it and ask follow-up questions. Never begin treatment until it is signed.
For returning clients, keep the original but carry out a short verbal check at the start of every session: "Has anything changed since last time? Any new pain, medication or injury?" Ask for an updated form once a year, after surgery, injury, pregnancy or any significant change in health.
If an answer suggests a contraindication, pause. It is better to postpone a session or ask for a doctor's note than to push on and hope.
Tips from massage therapists
Read it aloud with her, particularly the health section. Clients often forget to mention a past surgery or a blood thinner until you say the words.
Ask about pregnancy and how many weeks. Techniques, positioning and oils all change, and some therapists choose specialist training before treating pregnant clients.
Keep pressure language simple. "Light, medium, firm" is clearer than a scale from one to ten, and check in during the session rather than relying on the form alone.
Explain draping before she undresses, not after. It builds trust and keeps the consent genuinely informed.
Treat the forms as confidential. They contain health information, so store them securely and share them only when the law or the client requires it.
Write a short note after each session: what you worked on, what the client reported and what you would change next time. Those notes, together with the intake form, make a clear record of care, help you spot patterns across visits and give you something solid to refer back to if a client ever questions a treatment.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the health questions when you are busy or the client is a friend. Contraindications do not care who you know.
- Proceeding with a "maybe" answer. If a client is unsure about blood clots or infection, ask for medical advice first.
- Forgetting that medication can dull pain, so a client might not tell you when pressure is too much.
- Not recording consent to draping and the right to stop. Both protect you and the client.
- Keeping forms in a shared folder. Health data needs a private, secure place.