With that in mind I'm going to offer you a couple of tips:

• Do some reading. Buy a copy of Kindred Spirit, keep an eye open for articles in your favourite magazines or dentists' waiting room. Try to build up at least vague picture of what's out there and what's involved.
• Try to make sure you know what it is you want to achieve. Not as easy as it sounds, I know, but it does help. Despite the toe-curling claims I've seen made (no, I'm not naming names) complementary therapies are not cure alls; they have strengths they have weaknesses and they have plenty of situations where they're neither use nor ornament. . And while we're on the subject, if you do have something worrying you, I'm sorry to bang on about this (he lied) but have you seen your doctor? If you have a physical problem which is worrying you enough for you to be considering therapy check in with your doctor first. It's at most a couple of hours out of your life and it could save it. Makes sense to me.
• Ask around. By now a surprising number of people have tried complementary therapies. Hopefully most of them have had good to middling experiences. Again try to build up a picture of what's going on; don't just pick the first name out of the phone book and don't pick the flashiest advert; some of the best therapists I know have stopped advertising because they're too busy. On the other hand a lot of beginners don't advertise. You can't rely on advertising.
• Interview your therapist! Phone your prospective therapist up. Speak to them. Do you feel comfortable? Do they make big promises? Do they assume they know how to help you before they've even seen you? Do they seem over-friendly? Arrogant? Humans have subtle alarm bells which warn us if someone's a phoney or not. Use them.
• Here's the contentious one - Stay with recognised qualifications. For Massage that's the FHT and ITEC. There are impressive 'International Institute' type qualifications which you can buy for fifty quid a year and stick after your name. There are professional organisations out there who could fit their entire membership on a bus. If you have to complain about one of their members you could find yourself complaining to that member's friends, and at the very worst what are they going to do - kick him or her out of an organisation that could fit its entire membership on a bus. Woo hoo. Stick with the big qualifications.