Massage Schools and Careers in Massage Therapy
 Careers in Massage:
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Challenges in the Massage Profession
- Low Paying Jobs - Entry Level Jobs start at $12 an hour.
- Helping vs Being of Service - Most people come to the massage profession wanting to help others. Helping is different than serving. Helping too much is one of the biggest reasons massage therapists burn out and leave the massage profession
- Men in the Massage Profession are the minority. Men don't want to get massaged by men, women don't want to get massaged by men either making it much more challenging for men to succeed, but when they do, they usually make more than women in the profession. You can do it though!
- Pros and Cons of becoming a massage therapist
Most Massage Therapists Start Their Own Business!
Massage Schools offer training in massage therapy to become a professional massage therapist. Massage Therapy Careers are sited as one of the up and coming professions by many professional associations and career websites. It is true that more doctors are recognizing massage and that massage is being used more and more by people who are in pain, have injuries and for reducing stress and making people just feel better. Massage really is just starting to bloom as a method of health care. It is fast becoming an essential part of everyday care rather than being thought of as just a luxury.
While all of that is true - massage is becoming more popular - there is another side to the massage profession. Almost 30% of the people who enroll in massage schools don't even finish massage school. Almost 50,000 massage therapists leave the profession each year and about 60,000 new massage therapists join the ranks of working at spas, clinics or opening their own office.
Massage Schools and Associations will have all the pretty pictures showing you what the relaxing environment and talk all about helping people but it seems to ignore the facts that entry level jobs are really low paying. They sometimes will forget to mention that most massage therapists start their own businesses so you will have to know about starting and running a business which is really a 4 year degree in itself. You have to remember that these organizations are trying to fill their schools and associations with members!
Massage schools and associations don't tell you about the challenges you will have or how stressful it really is to find clients and make a decent living. But when you know what they are you can be ahead of all of the others and on your way to making a great living - $50,000 or even $100,000 a year or more if you are committed and passionate about what you do. This site is a guide on how to do it!
The key to doing just that is being passionate about what you do, have the self confidence and vision to make it happen and the commitment to follow it through! It is about learning about yourself and the reasons why you want to help because they are the same things that will lead you down the path of burnout and add you to the 50,000 massage therapists who leave the profession each year.
It has little to do with having
'good hands' or helping others. Just like any other career, there are
challenges and obstacles to overcome. My book "A Career in Massage- Is it for you? The truth about becoming a massage therapist " will help you to make a
more informed decision about choosing a career in massage and set you on
a path with a higher chance of success. If you are interested in becoming a massage therapist and going to massage school, you will most likely be learning basic Swedish Massage Therapy. Other popular types of massage are deep tissue massage, sports massage and Thai Massage. You will need to buy supplies like a massage table and massage oils/lotions for school and they will be your main tools in your career.
While most massage therapists start their own massage business there are more job opportunities opening up but most massage employers don't understand what massage therapists need and they don't understand that it is the massage therapist that will make or break their business. Even though there are more massage job opportunities opening up for massage school graduates, the pay is usually low and you still have to know how to get and keep clients coming back. Job security is a thing of the past and it takes putting 100% effort into everything you do. Many massage employers take advantage of massage therapists. I have written a guide to finding and creating your Ideal Job in Massage.
Starting your own business requires that you have knowledge in starting and running a business. It can be learned over time when you put your mind to it. You will need to learn how to build a website for your massage business and learn about how to do everything from finding a place to rent, getting and keeping clients coming in the door. You may also be learning to do massage insurance billing which is billing insurance companies for your massage services. Many companies are starting to pay for massage.
So whatever stage you are in your career, Massage Career Guides is here to guide you and inspire you on your road to success in your massage therapy career. You can learn more about Swedish massage which is the basic type of massage taught in massage schools. It is also the basic type of massage that anyone can learn.
For those who do not want to be a massage professional and just want to learn to massage each other, you can learn to massage on your own or take a couples massage class. (Friends and people who just want to massage can also take massage classes!)
To Your Success!
Julie Onofrio,
Licensed Massage Practitioner
Seattle WA
www.massage-career-guides.com
www.thebodyworker.com
www.massagepracticebuilder.com
