 |
Careers in Massage Therapy? What do I need to know? What are my options?
There are many options for careers in Massage Therapy. Most practioners, however, despite all those hyped ads for massage schooling on TV, will not make 50k a year with health insurance, and a 401K. I am being very realistic here. Nationwide Surveys for Careers In Massage therapy have indicated that the average income is about 18,500.00. Of course, you can make 100K a year if you are a business "shark", maybe you have made it big in some other industry, have lots of sales and marketing experience, but now suffer a mid-life crisis, and are looking for something more "gentle". Yes, You could manage a posh location with multiple practitioners, but be prepared to spend long hours and most nights being "married to a business". Got kids? A majority of time is also spent on the marketing end. The massage session time is actually the easiest part, but never mind the returning phone calls, re-scheduling, laundry, room prep, room take-down, cleaning, intake data, and travel time involved. It seems that the public is oblivious to this. Add to this all the expenses involved; of course, a no-brainer! When I explored careers in massage therapy, I had a gut feeling about this, and have been ok with it, keeping it all in perspective.
There is also a lot of burn-out in this field, which happens when you "give yourself away". This is very easy to do, in terms of scheduling, types of clients, times of day/night, family commitments, personal/health matters, etc. It all adds up. I try to look at myself as an "artisan", one who attempts to engage a quality service on a consistent basis without overproducing, or "hyperextending", which will lead to fatigue, burnout, and loss of quality in service. One of my prized possesions is a bamboo flyrod handcrafted by Hoagy Carmichael, a NY legend in his own day who spent many hours carefully planing strips of rare Tonkin Cane in his basement. While some may protest that I fish this rod, as it's "too good", I do so because it was meant for that purpose, and his energy lives on in its graceful taper. I wish I could be half the artisan he was. In previous occupations, I have definitely been in that place where, ironically, the numbers all of a sudden get "too good" and I begin to feel the impact of that in my physical being. Most people who have a regular non-comission salary do not understand this phenomenon. I just call it "Crash". Or "Shooting Star Syndrome". For me, it's really about making an incremental difference in the universe. This is what drives me. I could give a million examples here, but never mind. The best part for me is the simplicity of this. I carry it wherever I go. No magic, no witchcraft, no heavy machinery. It's all right here in my hands. Ready whenever I need it. How cool is that? And I'd be happy to teach you a couple techniques you can use at home, too.
A few Potential careers in massage therapy; *Private practice: Most older LMT's like myself have a day job, and a core client base. The funny thing is, I usually can't wait to punch out and "scrub down" for my practice. Marketing is usually done selectively. Most private LMT's will do 15- 25 hours per week, Never mind the laundry, phone calls, drive time etc. It's all good! *Physical Therapy Center: For these Careers in Massage Therapy, referrals come from a hospital/HMO; May involve insurance billing. Clients tend to be very emotionally charged because they are struggling to find some centering with their body's processes, and they usually want quick results. Your task will be to educate them in a progressive fashion. Americans cannot wait. This is challenging. Some of these clients were far beyond my skill level.
* Chiropractic Massage: Generally "prep work", 15 minute sessions, on location. You may get referrals, however, from this, but they must pay out of pocket. Some clients may not be willing to do this, as chiropractic is usually billable under insurance, so therefore, that 15 minute session is part of that contract. If Chiro is busy, can be fast paced indeed. Keep your center. Stay Hydrated. * Spa work: Generally pretty fast paced, tends to be more focused on "wellness massage" (Swedish). A lot of Spa owners recently have gotten together and communicated what is important for LMT's to do a good job, (rest time, etc.) so that their careers in massage therapy are not jeopardized.
This used to be a challenging field, but in the past few years, progress has been made to keep some balance in the client/therapist relationship, and improve service. The nice thing is, you get to work in a nice atmosphere, and have access to nice supplies. *Sports Massage: some LMT's specialize their careers in Massage Therapy with sports teams! This may involve lots of travel time, can be fast paced, emotionally charged, and involve lots of deep tissue work, stretching, kinesiology work, which is harder on the therapists' body. Having a sound awareness of body mechanics will help greatly here, as you are "moving lots of muscle". You must be "pumped up", But this can be fun. *Reiki: a.k.a, "energy work". Definitely a powerful modality in hospitals and clinics, which are starting to recognize and introduce alternative, holistic health practices. The connection to the client's energy is just as important as the work itself. This is a very nurturing type of work. Doesn't involve actual massage, but is nonetheless very powerful because of the energetic and emotional exchange between client and practitioner. These are some of the careers in massage therapy you may consider. There are other options, I will add these soon. Thanks for reading this page, and if you have any questions, use the "contact me" form on the home page. Thank you!
End of Careers in Massage therapy, back to home page |
