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Gaining experience as a new therapist

I've heard from many MTs either to start out at Massage Envy or Hand and Stone as a new therapist. However, the other half say not to work at those places. My question is do you HAVE to work at those locations as a new therapist or can you work in other settings?

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 22, 2017 at 12:18pm

You can work anywhere a licensed massage therapist can work. If you are just starting out it's easier to work in a place like Massge Envy, a spa, or chiropractic clinic, because they will have built in clientele for you. If you are new and open your own clinic, who is going to come and see you? After all, most people that get massages already have a massage therapist or an environment they go too.
The pay is low in a Massage Envy, but you will get your feet wet, improve your skill set, and meet people. After a while ( year or so) you can branch out on your own, or perhaps become employed in a chiropractic setting, where you will make more money.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Murray on June 22, 2017 at 12:46pm

So gaining experience in a chiro office or PT office is possible as a new grad? I just figured Spa work would be hard for me to get as a male. Besides, I'm leaning towards the medical end of massage.

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 22, 2017 at 4:08pm

Yea, it's as possible as anything. And it is more difficult, as a male therapist, to find work in a spa. I started out in a acupuncture clinic, and shortly their after( 8 months ), ended up in a chiropractic clinic. That was when I first started out.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Murray on June 22, 2017 at 5:46pm

Is it possible to make at least 30,000 a year as a new grad part-time? I see a lot of places that pay 15 an hour (and we know massage therapists can't work 8h/5d/1w massaging without killing themselves). I really want to make a living doing massage without being broke. I would be happy making 30,000 a year. I'm not interested in massage to get rich, but I AM interested in getting out of poverty/being poor while at the same time, helping people medically through massage.