Making Your Massage Career Last - Part I

I've been in practice since 1994, a few years longer than I originally planned. Initially I thought I would retire from doing hands-on work after about seven or eight years to focus on managing the busy (and demanding) day spa I opened in 1996. But even as my spa grew to a staff of almost fifty before I sold it four years ago, I never could make the decision to walk away from my massage practice.

Now, fifteen years after I saw my very first paying client, I am actually building my clientele again and enjoying almost every minute of the bodywork part of my career. My "secret" for staying in practice so long boils down to a few specific thing. Here are a couple of them:

Know your limitations. I see a lot fewer clients now than I did in the beginning and am not afraid to say "no.”. I take time off when I need to and am sure to take care of my own needs as well as that of my clients. Admittedly, with the economy the way it has been, it is harder for me to turn down that “extra appointment” and I’ve had to remind myself to slow down a bit more often. But thanks to a few dietary changes I’ve made, I have more energy (and my hands have more stamina) so I am not as worried about overdoing it.

Diversify your work. For most people this might mean offering different modalities of massage, but for me it means doing other things to earn money like teaching, writing, speaking and consulting in the massage and spa industries. As these other areas have grown more and more prosperous and rewarding over time, it has been easy to reduce my massage work-load and stay in the business. I still see a few clients every week and can enjoy each appointment much more than when I had to do massage to eat.

My advice to anyone getting started in the business who wants to make it a long-term career is to find your niche and the way you are most happy working whether that is in your own office, in a spa or medical office, doing outcalls or just part-time out of your house. If you truly love going to work every day like I do, it will be easy to stay with this or any profession for a long time.

I’ll be sharing a couple more ideas in an upcoming post. Until then, what’s helped you stay in practice? I’d love to hear your tips, ideas and secrets!