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What Did You Do Before Massage?
I know, I'm nosey. I was a travel writer.
For six years, I got to travel to Bed & Breakfasts and get massages, all for free, and write about it. So my roots are in traveling, meeting people and hearing their stories. Now I travel around and do The World Massage Festival & Massage Therapy Hall of Fame.
I found the adjustment to a single location massage establishment, inside a strip mall, very confining. So I started a way to stay "in the massage world and travel!" But that is another story!
What's your story? What did you do before massage? Tell us of your travels and what massage is like where you are, especially if you massage outside the U.S. We really like pictures, if possible.
If you get bored come see me at my page http://www.massageprofessionals.com/profile/MikeHinkle
Thanks and welcome to Massage Professionals!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maria Reisner on
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I still am a fire department dispatcher 2 days a week. I also am a paid on call firefighter. My plan is for massage to replace the dispatching job. Prior to all of this, I've worked for a police department, was a dorm director at a college and was an electronics technician in the Navy. Busy, busy...
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Permalink Reply by Paula R. Taylor on
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I was a paralegal working in the areas of family law (10+ years of stress!), then probate and estate planning (much nicer). When I became a mommy, I took a year off to spend with my baby and husband and reevaluate. I had always loved massage, so I decided that was where I wanted to begin the next chapter of my life. So glad I did. Since graduation, I have been volunteering as a teacher's assistant at my massage school, have begun a certification course in visceral massage, and will be starting Lomi Lomi training next week. I'm a newbie and am just setting up my massage practice, so any advice you could share with me would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Price on
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Hi Mike,
I have "fallen" into a few professions prior to massage...In my twenties, I was a bookkeeper at an airport and flight school. There was a recession and they couldn't pay me so we traded- flight time for office work. I wound up with a commercial license and flew aerial photography in Tucson for a few years.
Then I worked with a friend buying and selling exotic cars. Although based in Denver and Chicago, we travelled all over the country and returned to Arizona.
Next I started an automobile accessory business. I sold and installed stripes and moldings to cars dealers and body shops for nearly 20 years. I also got married and started a family during that time.
Finally through a strange turn of events and a lark, I went to massage school. All my life I have received massage and "rubbed away headaches", so it wasn't that odd, but not really a profession that I had ever considered seriously. That was 20 years ago and the rest is history! I can't imagine doing anything else, but that's how I felt about every other profession.
Kate Price
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Permalink Reply by Starr Phoenix on
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I was a Sr. Administrative Assistant working for a global footwear and apparel company.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Nelson on
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Life before massage therapy... I was a teacher for over 20 years & raised 4 wonderful daughters. During this same time I was a lay breastfeeding counselor, then became a board certified lactation consultant and have been a doula and childbirth educator. Ten years ago I left teaching and went to nursing school, working mainly in OB and then home health. I continue to work part-time as a community health educator and pre-natal home health nurse and recently held a position as a wellness program assistant. Five years ago I accompanied one of my daughters to an informational meeting at a massage therapy school she was planning to attend and it felt like coming home... Since then I have completed massage therapy training and taken continuing ed in Reiki, CranioSacral Therapy, Aromatherapy and Hot Stone Massage. I have worked as a massage therapist in a spa and a chiropractic office and have kept a small private practice in my home, but am now working to build my practice up in the hope of someday doing massage exclusively.
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Permalink Reply by Mariah on
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I use to be in the hospitality field.....hotels and cruise ships. I had alot of massages growing up as a part of therapy for my "bad" back and I fell in love with the art of massage, the ability to schedule my own hours, and the thought of all the people I could help aleviate pain without the use of drugs. Great discussion! I enjoy reading about everyones past lives! -Mariah
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Permalink Reply by Jacob Pranski on
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I was in school to become a special needs teacher; I wanted to work with the mentally challenged. I was doing well until a friend got me involved in a bad investment. I lost all my money for school, and because I was trying to recap some of my losses during the fall semester, I was missing alot from class. When spring rolled around, I did not qualify for any grants or loans. Some friends told me about how easy massage therapy was, the schooling was quick, and the money was pretty good. I thought, 'Ok, why not? atleast I may be able to do this on the side while I finish my degree.' What I wasn't prepared for was how much I was going to love it. What started out as a back up and safety net has now turned into my my third greatest passion, and I can make money at at the same time. It's funny how life often works itself out.
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Permalink Reply by J'nai L. Porter on
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I helped open MGM casino in Detroit MI as a prep cook in 1998, I was a waitress, and a full time student at University.
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Permalink Reply by Cheyenne Stallings on
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I have worked in retail, and as a book keeper for my mother in law. That was a lot of fun. When my husband and I decided to have a family I left the work force. After being a stay at home mom for three years I decided that I needed a little something more. I wanted something that would support my giving nature as well as allow me to make a living. I have been in private practice for 6 years now. Though I would like to be able to work full time I schedule my clients around our children's school hours. I am currently using massage to pay for advancing my educational pursuits toward an ND program. I feel blessed to have a supportive family and of course my husbands financial support.
Thank you all for welcoming me aboard, I look forward to sharing ideas and providing encouragement with you all.
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Permalink Reply by Roxanne Brawley Poole on
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Before massage I was a Manager of a National Recording Artist who plays rock-n-roll! :)
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Permalink Reply by reba627 on
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Right before I started massage school I was an assistant at an automotive magazine, did a little bit of a lot, proofread the magazines before final print, took care of billing, assisted the sales staff, worked with ad agencies on getting ads for the magazine, assisted the publisher with tasks, etc.
I've been doing massage since 2003, and have had my own practice since 2004.
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Permalink Reply by Kristina Fonseca on
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Before deciding to go into massage therapy i was a student at the University of Michigan - Dearborn going for my degree in Behavioral Sciences. i just wasnt happy and always had a passion for massage so i withdrew from all my classes and went to school for massage. i never looked back, this was the greatest decision i've ever made.
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