SAIT student health plan and massage therapy
SAIT student health plan and massage therapy: SAITSA pays in full up to $50 a visit and $550 per practitioner a year, with a referral. Acupuncture too.
By The Renu lymphatic and massage team · 6 min read
The SAITSA health plan covers massage therapy in full up to $50 a visit and $550 per practitioner per student year, as long as you have a current referral. Acupuncture is covered on the same terms with no referral listed, and it has its own $550. Compression stockings fall under medical equipment, two items or pairs a year with a medical doctor's letter, and claims must go in within 6 months of the visit.
SAIT students have a stronger massage benefit than most Calgary students: per visit, the SAITSA plan pays more than the University of Calgary and Mount Royal student plans. The SAITSA plan pays a massage visit in full up to $50, allows up to $550 per practitioner each student year, and covers acupuncture on the same terms. The catch is paperwork: massage needs a current referral, and claims have a six-month window.
What SAITSA pays for massage and acupuncture
The plan, administered by The PBAS Group through studentbenefits.ca, lists its health practitioner benefit in a single rule: services are covered in full, up to $50 per visit and up to $550 per practitioner per student year, provided the practitioner is licensed by the appropriate provincial or federal organization to practise their profession.
Massage therapist and acupuncturist both appear on that list, along with chiropractor, dietitian, naturopath consultations, occupational therapist, osteopath, physiotherapist, podiatrist or chiropodist consultations and speech therapist. Only massage therapy and physiotherapy are marked as needing a referral.
| Benefit | What SAITSA publishes |
|---|---|
| Massage therapist | Paid in full to $50 a visit, $550 per student year, referral required |
| Acupuncturist | Paid in full to $50 a visit, $550 per student year, no referral marked |
| Referral validity | Must be current; valid one year from the date of issue |
| Compression stockings or garments | Two items or pairs per benefit year, under medical equipment |
| Medical equipment overall | Paid in full up to $3,000 per student year, recommended by a medical doctor |
| Claim deadline | Within 6 months of service |
| Plan cost | $402 a year ($201 a semester) on the 2026–27 plan |
Because the maximum is per practitioner type rather than shared, a student who uses both massage and acupuncture has two separate $550 pots.
What that means at our prices
With a $50 cap, the plan pays the same amount whether your session is short or long, so the share you pay rises with session length. Using our published prices:
- Massage, 30 minutes at $80: the plan pays $50, you pay $30.
- Massage, 60 minutes at $120: the plan pays $50, you pay $70.
- Massage, 90 minutes at $157: the plan pays $50, you pay $107.
- Acupuncture follow-up, 45 minutes at $85: the plan pays $50, you pay $35.
- Acupuncture initial consultation and treatment, 90 minutes at $150: the plan pays $50, you pay $100.
At $50 a visit, the $550 maximum stretches to 11 visits of each type in a student year. A student working through a sports injury with weekly massage, or pairing massage with acupuncture, can use a meaningful share of that over a term.
There is one more angle for acupuncture. The Canada Revenue Agency lists acupuncturists as authorized medical practitioners in Alberta for the medical expense tax credit, while massage therapists are not on the Alberta list. The part of an acupuncture fee your plan does not pay may therefore count toward that credit. Our page on acupuncture coverage in Alberta goes into the tax side.
The referral and the six-month window
Two dates decide whether a massage claim is paid.
The referral date. A massage referral must be current and is valid for one year from when it was issued. Get it before your first visit, keep a copy, and diarize the expiry date; a referral that lapses partway through a course of treatment leaves later visits unpaid. When you need a doctor’s note for massage therapy covers what the note should say.
The service date. SAITSA’s claim instructions are to keep original, itemized receipts, submit through the member portal, and do it within 6 months of service. Students who save receipts for the end of the year are the ones most likely to miss this. Submitting after each visit is the simplest habit. For what an itemized receipt should contain, see what a massage therapy receipt needs to show.
The plan’s coverage page also notes that most providers bill direct with your benefit card. That depends on the provider, so if you plan to pay and claim yourself, the portal route above is the reliable one.
The licensing condition in Alberta
The SAITSA rule says a practitioner must be licensed by the appropriate provincial or federal organization. For acupuncture in Alberta that is fairly straightforward; the Canada Revenue Agency’s list of authorized practitioners includes Alberta acupuncturists. Massage therapy is different: the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta says the profession is not yet regulated in Alberta, its application for regulation is still under review, and the RMT title is not currently protected. Until a college exists, Registered Massage Therapists in Alberta are registered through professional associations.
The plan does not spell out how it applies the licensing wording to Alberta massage therapists. If you want certainty, send the administrator your therapist’s name and association before you start a series of visits. That is also why a student practitioner session, which is not an RMT service, should be treated as an out-of-pocket cost.
Compression stockings on the SAITSA plan
SAITSA lists compression stockings or garments, excluding athletic or general-use apparel, as medical equipment, limited to two items or pairs per benefit year. To claim, the plan asks for a letter from a licensed medical doctor describing the condition, the equipment, the medical need and how long it is needed, and the garment must come from a licensed medical equipment supplier or a recognized retailer specializing in medical products. Items from third-party online marketplaces are not eligible.
If a doctor has recommended compression for swelling, a professional measurement helps you buy the right garment the first time. At Renu, Meeghan Mackenzie is a Certified Compression Fitter, and a compression fitting is a 30-minute appointment for $25.
Booking at Renu from SAIT
Renu sits in West Hillhurst, about 2.5 km by road from SAIT’s main campus on 16 Avenue NW, which is served by the SAIT/AUArts/Jubilee station on the CTrain Red Line. There is free street parking on 19 Street, and we are open seven days, including weekday evenings until 8:30 pm.
Massage is with our Registered Massage Therapists, and acupuncture is with Dr. Will Tanner, an RMT and acupuncturist. Book online through Jane; full prices are on the massage therapy and acupuncture pages. If you study at the University of Calgary instead, its plans work quite differently, as our University of Calgary student health plan page shows.
Questions people ask
Do I need a referral for acupuncture on the SAITSA plan?
The plan marks massage therapists and physiotherapists as needing a referral, but not acupuncturists. You still need a practitioner who meets the plan's licensing condition, so keep the receipt that shows who treated you.
Is the $550 shared between massage and acupuncture?
No. SAITSA's wording is $550 per practitioner per student year, and massage therapist and acupuncturist are listed as separate practitioner types. If you use both, each has its own maximum.
How long is my referral good for?
SAITSA says a required referral must be current and is valid for one year after the date it was issued. If your treatment runs past that date, ask for a new one before your next visit.
Can I claim a student massage on the SAITSA plan?
The plan covers a massage therapist who is licensed by the appropriate provincial or federal organization, and student practitioners are still in training. Expect a student session to be an out-of-pocket cost unless the administrator tells you otherwise in writing.
Sources
Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.
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