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Becoming a massage therapist - is this a career for me?

Hi, I'm Janella and I'm relatively new here. I've been considering a massage therapy career for about 10 years now, and wondering if I'm a good fit. What qualities make a good massage therapist? I would like to get some general feedback before "introducing" myself. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on July 30, 2012 at 11:33pm

I think its easier to start at things part time...Get job or part time job...Let everybody know from work that you are a massage therapist..Tell all your neighbors.. Friends .. People in the grocery stores... Maybe you are only doing two massages a week..and make about $100.. but it doesn't matter because you are already working. And $400 a month is a car payment or pays bills or save it.. Then maybe a couple months go by and you are giving four massages a week....then at the end of the year you are doing 10 massages a week sometimes....You are feeling busy with work and doing those ten massages....then maybe next summer you are doing 15 massages a week...hmm... Maybe its time to quit your job and just do massage full time.....If you just open up an office ..Its not that easy...Its like most of the people that get massages regularly..Guess what...They already have a massage therapist.....I love this work...and its very rewarding...I like it more then ever..but ,,,It has a very short career span. At any rate...you have to be focused and don't get discouraged...Ive been on food stamps and made a lot of money doing this kind of work...and their wasn't any difference in the quality of my massage work between the two.. Some people seem to luck out, start making money right away...Some struggle, Ive had both...

Lanay De Angelo said:

I find that a person that is compassionate, caring, a good listener are really good qualities for this career. Great customer service is key and also getting into this profession to just make money is not a reason to enter the field. I had a fellow classmate that was in it to make money and I noticed when i would get a massage from him I could tell there was just nothing in his touch. It was almost like his hands were dead. Also. I had to out in a lot of studying. My course was 9 months long and 750 hours. I studied about 40 hours a week. Students think they can just coast through the class and would not study or do their homework but it really is a lot of work. It is very rewarding though to help make people feel better. I finished school end of February and started my own business end of march but it has been slow going. it is definitely not a get rich quick kind of profession. it takes time to build a client base. I am still struggling. I haven't had many clients but I think part of the problem is I have not been able to afford to pay for advertising. Also vistaprint.com is an excellent site to order business items from like tshirts and business cards, etc.

Permalink Reply by Letha Childers on July 31, 2012 at 2:25pm

I've found many massage therapist are "care givers" by nature. If you love helping people you will probably be good at it. What are your reasons for considering this as a career? If it's because you think it will be an easy way to make lots of money... you might want to keep thinking awhile. Having said that, if you've been thinking about it for that long something keeps bringing you back.

Permalink Reply by Janella Rollert on August 9, 2012 at 10:26am

Thank you for all the wonderful responses!

I started thinking about massage therapy about 10 years ago. I don’t know what triggered the idea, but I kept it in the back of my mind and thought about it occasionally (I was working as a veterinary technician at the time). About 3 years ago, I received massage therapy as part of physical therapy treatment for my neck and shoulder (I had massage therapy before, but not for an injury). I had been through PT previously without massage therapy being part of the treatment, and I cannot believe what a difference massage made in the overall treatment. With massage therapy added in, I feel brand new. The treatment without massage left me still struggling with the effects of the injury. That experience obviously got me started on the idea of massage therapy again.

I don’t really have glorified ideals about what massage therapy is. I’m in the middle with the whole “fix me” idea. I think it depends on the situation. Using myself as an example: I can help myself with my neck and should issues with PT exercises given to me while in therapy and a home electrical stimulation unit (small, easy to use), and regular massage. I know that massage, exercise, etc. won’t fix me, but when I use these tools regularly, I can function normally and stay pain-free.

I realize business is a part of it as well. I don’t think that will be a problem, and I have lots of business intelligence in my family to turn to when needed!

As a credentialed veterinary technician, I am science minded and graduated from that program with a B average. I’ve also taken college level human A&P, advanced anatomy (with cadavers!) and pathophysiology (I am an anatomy nerd). I also know you have to give and receive massage as part of school, no problem there. Obviously you have to touch other people – it’s massage!! I’ve done my homework, and know where I’d like to study.

I would not describe myself as the most outgoing, social “people” person, but I do have compassion for people and do very well with others, especially on a one-to-one basis. I really do want to help people, whether it’s to help ease pain, or just help them relax for an hour. I’m interested in oncology massage and prenatal massage. I’m also very interested in becoming certified as a canine massage therapist (mostly for post-op, post-injury, etc.). That is where I might start, actually. It's a lot less expensive and goes well with my Veterinary Technology degree and experience.

I’m not looking to make tons of money. I don’t need to pay the bills, buy a house, etc. I’m interested in the fulfillment I believe being a massage therapist will bring me.

I feel that I am compassionate, caring and a good listener. I am good at reading people’s subtle body language.

What’s been stopping me from becoming a massage therapist? Money. We don’t qualify for a loan (my husband makes too much money). We’ve been paying for our daughter’s college out-of-pocket, but we’re not “rich” by any means. I have my degree in Veterinary Technology, but I haven’t worked in that field since 2004, so I can’t find a job now (everyone wants recent experience). I’ve applied for non-veterinary jobs, but so far, no luck. So perhaps I start where I know I can, with canine (and possible equine) massage, and go from there. I'm fortunate to have one of the top animal massage school's close to home.

Permalink Reply by Jed Heneberry on August 9, 2012 at 4:28pm

Hi Janelle,

There's nothing like talking to other MTs about their experiences, but ABMP offers a valuable career planning booklet to help you decide as well. It's available at Massagetherapy.com under the "Become a Massage Therapist" heading (http://www.massagetherapy.com/careers/index.php).

Good luck!!

Jed

Permalink Reply by Kathy Mackay on August 11, 2012 at 6:26pm

Welcome Janella. I chose a career in massage because I was in pain and massage is what got me out of pain. I realized just what a precious gift it is to help someone get out of pain and it prompted me to attend massage school. That decision is most definitely in the top five of best decisions I've made in my life as it completely changed my life's direction and quality. I really cannot imagine myself doing anything else as a career.

As for qualities I think make a good MT (much has already been said): compassion, stamina, desire to work on all kinds of people, have good boundaries both emotionally and physically, willingness to learn, ability to say "No" when necessary, self confidence and self motivating.

While being an MT can be exciting and rewarding it is also a business. It is important to understand how a business works, understand marketing, being able to market yourself and skills to the public or a potential employer should you decide to work for someone else.

Regardless of what the schools tell you or the ads you read about the glamorous life of MT's working for celebrities and the super rich please know MT's do not start out earning $75+/hour when they first graduate. It takes time and devotion to becoming an incredible MT and build a really good clientele and steady reliable income. The latest numbers from a 2012 AMTA massage survey show the average income for an MT is about $21K/year.

As a veterinary assistant would you consider a career in animal massage rather than working on people? It is an up and coming area in the massage industry.

Permalink Reply by Jane Quinn on January 31, 2013 at 6:28am

If you're interested in it and feel strongly about it, I don't see why not. Marinello is a beauty school in Provo which conducts an interview with an admissions advisor to make sure you pursue a program ideal for you. Look into it and good luck!

Permalink Reply by Chuck Peck on January 31, 2013 at 7:08am

I agree with Lanay "I find that a person that is compassionate, caring, a good listener are really good qualities for this career". You also need to have a love for giving massage in general. If you come into the field only to make money, you're not going to be as good of a massage therapist as some. Speaking of money you need to come into the field with realistic expectations of what type of income you can make from massage. It's a lot less than some massage schools will tell you.

I love being a massage therapist and if you want to do it, I recommend you go for it with open eyes! :)

Chuck Peck

AZ LMT

Cave Creek Arizona

http://www.carefreeservices.org

Permalink Reply by Joyce Young on February 1, 2013 at 10:21am

Hey Janella:

You may want to think about student loans for financing your education. When I went to massage school my contract job ended and I didn't have any savings and I decided to go to massage school. In the state I was in I didn't not have to look ( I went on unemployment) for work while I was FT in school. This allowed me to focust totally on school.

Also, if you waited 10 years until now to go to school, then NOW is the time to go. I was always told I should go to massage school. I even looked into it a few years before I actually went (actually 10 years!). It was only when the "stars aligned" and I was at the right place mentally, physically and spiritually for the opportunity to go to school happened. And when it did, it was the right time. I truly believe I could not have taken it earlier in life. For some reason, the time had arrived and it was the perfect time for me to go to school. So, I'm a firm believer that if the Universe is holding the door open for you this time, it's time to go through.

Good luck in your decision.

Permalink Reply by Pam Cameron on February 1, 2013 at 11:44am

I'd like to address the physical qualities that it's good to have as an MT. Our most successful therapists as the clinic where I work are physically strong and have good stamina. Americans are large people and I didn't fully realize that until I started working on them all the time. It helps to be closer to the size of the person you're working on.

No one ever talks about this, but I wish I had been better prepared for how physically demanding the job is. It helps to have a second job that isn't physically demanding. That way, if you need to cut back on massage because your thumbs are hurting or you get injured, you know you'll be okay financially.

Permalink Reply by myHolisticServices.com on February 1, 2013 at 9:44pm

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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on February 12, 2013 at 11:26am

Massage therapist as a profession where you are e better off having a personal workplace, as caregivers works you too much and you need to be in a scenario where you can be particular about who you perform on, not just have to perform on whoever reveals up. So i guess it's a high burnout profession.

Permalink Reply by Betty Schlesinger on June 17, 2013 at 6:52am

Passion drives most careers, so you have to have that. But along with that you have to be patient and attentive to client needs. I came across Marinello while researching Provo beauty schools and learnt that they arrange a meeting with an admissions advisor who helps you decide what career within the beauty industry you’re best suited for. It’s best to meet with a career guidance counselor; someone who takes your goals into consideration to help you decide on a career.