Of all the fields in your Google Business Profile, categories are one of the easiest to overlook and one of the most important to get right. Your primary category tells Google what kind of business you are, which affects which searches you can show up for and which features your profile gets (like service menus and booking options).
Many massage therapists and chiropractors chose a category in a hurry when they first set up their profile and haven’t looked at it since. This guide explains how categories work, the main options for bodywork practices, and how to choose without gaming the system.
It supports our Google Business Profile optimization guide for bodywork practices.
How categories work
You get one primary category and can add up to nine additional categories.
- The primary category is the strongest signal. It should describe your core business — what most clients come to you for.
- Additional categories describe other real, distinct services you offer. They can help you appear for related searches, but they carry less weight and shouldn’t be used to cover every possible keyword.
Categories also unlock features. Some categories show certain attributes, booking options, or service templates that others don’t. That’s another reason to choose accurately rather than strategically.
A quick note: Google’s category list changes over time, and availability varies by country. Always type in the category field and see what Google offers today rather than relying on any list (including ours) as final.
Common categories for bodywork practices
Massage practices
- Massage therapist — the most accurate choice for most licensed massage therapists and massage-focused practices, whether solo or with a small team.
- Massage spa — fits businesses with a spa-style experience and atmosphere, often with additional spa services.
- Day spa — better for businesses offering a broad menu (facials, body treatments, nails, massage) where massage is one of several services.
- Sports massage therapist or similar specialty categories — worth considering as additional categories if available in your region and you genuinely specialize.
Chiropractic practices
- Chiropractor — the primary for nearly every chiropractic office.
- Possible additional categories depending on what you actually offer in-house: Massage therapist (if you employ an LMT), Physical therapist or Physical therapy clinic (only if licensed PT services are provided), Acupuncturist (only if a licensed acupuncturist practices there), Sports medicine clinic (carefully — only if it truly describes your services).
Related practices
- Physical therapy clinic / Physical therapist for PT practices.
- Skin care clinic or Facial spa for skincare businesses.
- Acupuncturist, Reflexologist, Wellness center, and others as they genuinely apply.
How to choose your primary category
Ask three questions:
- What do most clients book? If 80% of appointments are massage, your primary is a massage category, even if you also sell skincare products.
- What would a client call you? “My massage therapist” vs. “the spa” vs. “my chiropractor.” Match how people describe you.
- What do the strongest nearby competitors use? Search for your main service, look at the top local results, and note their primary categories (visible on their profile under the business name). This isn’t about copying; it’s a sanity check on how Google classifies similar businesses in your area.
“Massage therapist” vs “Massage spa”
This is the most common question we hear. In practice:
- If you’re a clinical or therapeutic practice — deep tissue, injury work, medical massage, sports massage — Massage therapist usually describes you better.
- If the experience is spa-forward — relaxation, ambiance, packages, add-ons like hot stones or aromatherapy, maybe facials — Massage spa may fit better.
Some practices sit in between. In that case, choose the one that matches what most clients come for, and add the other as an additional category only if it’s genuinely accurate.
How to choose additional categories
Good additional categories are:
- True — the service is regularly offered by qualified staff at this location.
- Distinct — it’s a different type of service, not just a variation (deep tissue and Swedish are both massage; use your Services list for those, not categories).
- Something people search for separately — e.g., “acupuncturist” or “physical therapist.”
Bad additional categories are added “just in case.” A massage practice that adds “Physical therapy clinic,” “Chiropractor,” and “Wellness center” without offering those services risks confusing searchers, getting irrelevant calls, and drawing edits or reports.
Remember that individual treatments belong in the Services section. Categories describe the type of business; services describe what can be booked. Our GBP optimization guide covers how to write those service descriptions.
Practitioner vs. practice profiles
In multi-practitioner clinics, Google allows individual practitioners (like a chiropractor or physical therapist) to have their own profiles in addition to the practice profile, under certain conditions. Practitioner profiles should use categories that match that person’s profession, while the practice profile reflects the business as a whole.
For a clinic with one chiropractor and one massage therapist, a common setup is a practice profile with “Chiropractor” as primary and “Massage therapist” as additional. Check Google’s current guidelines for practitioner listings before creating extra profiles — duplicates and improper listings can cause problems.
When to change your category
Changing your primary category isn’t something to do casually. It can temporarily affect which searches you appear in, and frequent switching can trigger a re-verification. Reasonable times to change:
- Your business model has genuinely shifted (you added a full spa menu, or moved from spa-style to clinical work).
- Your current category is clearly inaccurate.
- Google introduced a more specific category that fits you better.
When you change, note the date in your tracking log and watch Performance data over the next month or two. Don’t panic about short-term fluctuations.
Mistakes to avoid
- Picking a broad category to “catch more searches.” “Wellness center” for a solo massage therapist rarely helps and often hurts relevance.
- Using all nine additional slots with loosely related categories.
- Category-stuffing as a substitute for services. Use your Services list and website service pages for treatment-level detail.
- Never checking again. Google sometimes adds or changes categories, and public suggested edits can alter yours. Check monthly as part of your weekly marketing checklist routine.
Quick decision summary
- Solo LMT or therapeutic massage practice → Massage therapist
- Spa-style massage business → Massage spa (or Day spa if massage is one of many services)
- Chiropractic office → Chiropractor, plus truthful additions for in-house services
- PT practice → Physical therapy clinic or Physical therapist
- Skincare business → Skin care clinic or Facial spa
Categories are one piece of relevance. The rest comes from your services, description, photos, reviews, and website. For the full picture, see our Google Business Profile guide and our overview of local marketing for massage and bodywork therapists.
