massage and bodywork professionals

a community of practitioners

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=OhBtGlEETUWwi9h5olkCGQ_3d_3d

Please help me compile this information. I'd like more than a 1,000 if possible. Sure it is!
Your participation is MOST appreciated.
Remember you do not have to answer all the questions and Page 2 is "optional". Page two is for those employed only, NOT Self Employed!The survey company automatically includes Page 2 and I was unable to edit or delete. SO it IS OPTIONAL!
Pass it on to your colleagues too.

The intention is to publish this research to assist
Future LMT's, educators, employers and anyone else interested in the statistics of the massage industry!
I want to give you a voice to share your thoughts and experiences.

The Survey will end November 29, 2009

Updates will be posted on this discussion throughout the survey and final results will be provided once all information is compiled and reviewed.

FYI! I am also conducting private interviews with owners of franchises, spas, schools, massage therapists etc. Interested? Contact me.

I will also be including a few interviews from employers and LMT's. Want to participate? Contact me massageproce@gmail.com

Thanks, Gloria

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Thanks Emma! yes some good comments in the "other" field.
I am hoping to represent our profession to the best of my capability by
making Future Lmt's, employers, educators etc. aware of what is
realistically happening for the majority.

I hear lots of things in the community and want to see if it is nationwide.

I have a few people for interviews, Employers and LMT's and seeking some others
for their opinions and insights too!

To all those that wanted more questions, this survey obviously can't include everything and
was prompted for a specific reason. Mike Hinkle and I are talking about creating
a survey for more marketing related questions, as that has been the one most are asking for
in the survey.

Thank you all and please tell another colleague.
I'm in! Business... okay Laura Allen, Felicia Brown, Sandy Fritz, Susan Salvo, You and me...... CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!
184 and Counting after 2 days! Keep 'em rolling in.

This mornings Stats:

LMT's that are employed by someone state on an average the make $30/hr (excluding tips)
About 10% make $10 or less an hour.:(

49% of participants felt their massage school program prepared them well to get started on their career.
Most comments felt their programs needed more business training.


Over 46% of the participants are advancing and contributing to the massage field through Educating others !

Over 40% of spa employees like working at a spa because of the ambience and environment and steady work.

75% of clients like the "therapeutic" effect of your massage

3 most popular forms of bodywork people want to learn: 1. Cranio Sacral Therapy, 2. Lomi Lomi 3. Structural Integration

Only 8% of participants have ever worked for a massage franchise company

More details and updates later!
Marketing seems to be the biggest issue in all categories!

I would like to help those of you having difficulty. Please email me.

When I had my massage practice within 1 year it was larger than I could handle. I rented a larger
facility and started hiring therapists at my holistic center.

My business grew into a multi-disciplinary holistic health center and a Massage School
within 3 years! I had over 5,000 sq feet of space for the holistic center and a separate
facility for the school!

I went to every event in my community!!! People knew us. I hosted community workshops!
I educated different local organizations. I did fun demo's/lectures at retirement communities and the list goes on.

You really need to get out there! Participate in your community.
This comment was placed on what else would you like to comment about?

1. While I know that MTs are generally people who want things to just flow along organically, I really wish there was more structure to the requirements and licensing. I live in an unlicensed state, but I have yet to have a client who knows that. Credentials need to be set out and explained to the public, and they need to be consistent nationwide. I also wish we could afford to promote massage on a large scale such as commercials rather than on a small and/or individual basis. (I can hear the associations groaning! I know they try very hard.)

I love your question about the instructors. In addition to massage expereince, they should also have some sort of teaching requirement. I had an A&P instructor who was a former 3rd grade teacher. We did a lot of cut and paste activities, and she had no idea how to teach at an adult level. Wonderful woman, lousy teacher. I feel I really missed out.
These responses were from todays responses to the advanced certification question:

1. just as motor cycle endorcements for drivers, Geothermal Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Cryotherapy and others have specific risks and require additional education which should be certified

2. I would much prefer that we attain advanced certifications through educators/schools themselves, rather than being required to certify through any other entity

3. Many 'groups' are getting into this requiring different fees each year to stay certified - and I feel that's wrong.

4. What's the point? ego? Doesnt assure a good therapst
On a personal comment - For the few that felt this survey was poorly designed, you are more than free to contribute and design one. I was asked to do this for a specific reason and decided to throw in a few more questions based on questions presented to me all the time.

I have taken my own time and money to do this in order to try and represent certain aspects of our industry that are
getting mixed reviews.

I want to educate the future LMT's what is happening in our profession.
I would like to be able to help those that are having difficulty with marketing, etc.

As for NCB and licensing questions - I just wanted to hear your voice, based on some other questions I am being asked.

If you have a different approach, by all means join in and do your part . I do not claim to be any expert on surveys. Thank you for expressing your opinions and please help in your own way.

To those of you that have enjoyed the survey and gave your responses and personal emails of thanks to me. Thank you!

I assure I will do my best to represent our industry and I am currently seeking private interviews with a variety of sectors as well.

Thanks again and keep passing the word please! G
Thank you so much Gloria for taking the time to do this survey which will benefit us all.

Gloria Coppola said:
On a personal comment - For the few that felt this survey was poorly designed, you are more than free to contribute and design one. I was asked to do this for a specific reason and decided to throw in a few more questions based on questions presented to me all the time.

I have taken my own time and money to do this in order to try and represent certain aspects of our industry that are
getting mixed reviews.

I want to educate the future LMT's what is happening in our profession.
I would like to be able to help those that are having difficulty with marketing, etc.

As for NCB and licensing questions - I just wanted to hear your voice, based on some other questions I am being asked.

If you have a different approach, by all means join in and do your part . I do not claim to be any expert on surveys. Thank you for expressing your opinions and please help in your own way.

To those of you that have enjoyed the survey and gave your responses and personal emails of thanks to me. Thank you!

I assure I will do my best to represent our industry and I am currently seeking private interviews with a variety of sectors as well.

Thanks again and keep passing the word please! G
Some stats for today!

221 have responded thus far. Thank you.

72% of you are in private practice!

How many Ce's??
1.over 2,500 hours documented in 27 year career
2. more than I can count
3.Several thousand hours


The average price for a 1 hr. massage
$50-60, followed by $70-80


What would you change about your career?
1. I would like to own a school rather than travel to locations to teach classes
2.I need more modalities to offer and some easier techniques for my hands.
3.Become a well-known Speaker for large groups and travel extensively.
4.would be a great marketing person. I wish I knew more how to market.


What modality do you use the most?
Swedish is currently in the lead
Followed by Integrative bodywork


Some great suggestions for publication places of the final data and interviews

Thanks everyone!
More tomorrow...keep telling your colleagues to fill it out.
Why did you become a massage therapists? Results updated
73% to help people
1.encouragement from others whom I massaged.
2. to work on horses
3. Wanted another career, was burned out being a secretary
4. I'm a dancer & body fanatic
5. works with martial arts
6. I'm an anatomy nerd and have always had an interest in alternative medicine. Always wanted a low-stress career.
7. spiritual path - opportunity to serve and love..

WOW ALL great reasons!
Do you think instructors of massage should go through a training?
Response # 1

1. YES with over 70% of the participants feeling this way.

\Some Comments:
I think massage educators should be "educated" like teachers in other schools. I do not think they need a college degree in education, but a teaching "certificate" would be more than appropriate.
2. For communication skills and for skills dealing with projections & transferance
3. I am writing this workshop now and will seek NCBTMB certification
4.YES!!! As a former teacher I can't help but wish that!! (A good therapist does not mean a good teacher!)
5. Yes, but should be done by the institiution they are hired at.
6. If schools are willing to pay them accordingly
7. Assist for at least one year

228 participants as of this morning!
I won't be around this morning so if any of you can notify members or friends that would be awesome!
You are so right. Trying to set a single BOK of all of bodywork just won't work. We need to base massage on Swedish and have a based Swedish BOK for entry level relaxation work and a second standard for therapeutic massage. Lumping all on bodywork into massage is why the NCB and MBLEx tests are a joke.

http://www.massagetoday.com/massagepoll/03archive/10_03.php

I also think that we need to separate basic massage from therapeutic massage. Not everyone does therapeutic massage and the public needs to know the difference. They are two different services. If you don’t work on clients in street clothes or want to call your work massage you at least need to master basic Swedish. If you want to do Swedish based therapy you need and additional set of skills. I believe we can set real standards for these because you have a consistent set of requires skills that can actually be correlated to the performance of each and every practitioner. We also need to make it clear that this standard does not apply to other modalities because they each have their own BOK.

The education must be cost effective in that it all relates to objective performance and we need standards so that you need to pass the standards and hours do not matter.

If you have one standard and train everyone to do therapeutic work, a person doing just spa work will lose their skills. On the other hand they will probably be focusing on doing better relaxation work than you will get from someone doing therapeutic massage.

Gloria Coppola said:
Sharing some of the interesting and valuable comments from the survey. Just letting you know what some people are thinking/feeling. Some of these comments are posted similar on the survey with different wording, so I am not going to post everyone! Thanks for Participating . Keep telling others!

1. We need to unify the profession MTBOK is way off track and needs to be revised. COMTA is in need of overhaul to be complete. Why are we seen as a wish/washy care, because we don't come together and publish research results consistantly. To many therapist charge outlandish prices for "Specialty" massage they are not certified in. Start with Swedish as the base, then only provide and charge for specialty when certified in each modality, there is no consistant way of knowing who actually knows/does what. Physicians do the same thing and there are many law suits that are proving malpractice, this is the next step for massage if we don't clean up first.

2.I would like to see American regulators set standards that elevate this profession. I think it is not ok just to set standards that allow people to squeek by. Instead, I would like to see robustly trained therapist entering the field. They would then move the profession forward. More alliances with main stream education is also criticle. The physiotherapist have demonstated that issuing a degree that allows them to work toward Masters and PhD status has really elevated their credibility. A diploma just does not hold water in the world. Our practitoners must be granted the right to higher education with in our field..

3.I'd like to see a national plan for all massage therapists as opposed to each state having its own regulations, a national organization that would have muscles to flex in connection with "protecting MT's", i.e., sales tax, licensing fees, ceu requirements.

4.would love to be recognized by other medical professionals as someone who is knowledagble, educated and well informed. Not just someone who rubs people in spas! Sometimes there are instances where we have more education than some nurses but don't earn anywhere close to what they do. It would be great to be compensated accordingly. WE offer such a benefit but the medical world is fearfully of this because they think they will loose money. If they truly only knew that we could benefit them and their patients. WE all need to work together for the health and lively hood of our people of the world!

5.My Pet Peeve is that some massage schools promote massage therapy as a way to earn $65 an hour, and don't provide the information on good business practices, ethics, self-care. And that newbies should realize that they are new to the field - and to find a mentor, and not think they have all the knowledge they need to have to call themselves 'specialized' in a particular field.

And finally (for today) the survey shows we mostly went into this field to HELP people and it is also the comment that most people are making in their personal comments. They love what they do!!

Once I have more results, I will post more information!

Thanks again!

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