With so many concerns of the economic challenges that are being faced and will be faced with what does the future hold for the massage profession? As a massage therapist for the last 20 years and an avid participant in the many online groups and through contact with my many readers, I can see that most of the massage profession struggles to get by. (Maybe it’s just because you don’t hear as much about the successful stories. They are out there though, I am sure.)
ABMP reports in their metrics section at www.massagetherapy.com that :
Average massage-related income for massage therapists in 2005 was $18,950, with a median income of $14,500 (2005 ABMP Member Survey)
Total earnings by massage therapists, including their earnings from other employment, were $32,506 (2005 ABMP Member Survey).
First-year practice average income was $9,589, reflecting the challenges of establishing a professional-service practice (2005 ABMP Member Survey).
ABMP estimates some 50,000 massage therapists leave the profession each year.
The average age of ABMP members graduating in 2007 and entering the profession is 44. The median age is 45.
Close to 83 percent are women and 54.5 percent are married.
As massage therapists look for other ways of making a living they are choosing to take low paying jobs just to get by. Massage Envy was one of the top franchises last year and this I just found online so I am not sure how true it is “As of this month, Massage Envy, which was founded in 2002 and reported nearly $100 million in sales last year, has 120 locations and 248 more under development in 30 states.” They pay their employees $12-$15 an hour from what I have heard -plus tips.
They are choosing to accept insurance as payment or join discount insurance networks just to get by. I am a provider here in WA State and have been since about 2000 when they started allowing massage therapists to be contracted providers with insurance companies. When it first started there were a few companies who paid fairly well but some who paid poorly -(less than the average of $60 for a massage in the US). I have yet to see them raise their allowable fees and most are reducing what they pay and also the allowable benefits. Each year it gets less and less and gets harder to get paid. Managed care makes it harder to make a living.
Since the median age of massage therapists is 45 according to the recent ABMP survey, where does that leave massage therapists as they move into their retirement years? Most massage therapists are coming into the massage profession as a second or third career and thinking of it as a way to supplement retirement or slow down until they retire. They are seeking a more fulfilling career working with others.
And where are all the men in the profession? With low paying jobs how can men support their families? With men as a minority in the profession it shows that there are still many preconceived notions about touch. Women don’t want to be massaged by men and men don’t want to be massaged by men. With this challenge men are leaning away from the massage profession for better paying jobs where they are more accepted.
With such struggles along with the physical, mental and emotional demands of being a massage therapist, many see this as a part time profession. They also perceive it to be more of a calling than a way to make a living and lack a clearly defined business model. Is massage a hobby or a business?
I also have been receiving many communications through my website www.massagetherapycareers.com in the frequently asked questions section from high school students looking into careers in massage. They ask about what jobs pay and where can they get a massage but their main questions are things like “Do I have to take math or science classes?” which makes me think they are just looking for an easy career (which massage is not.) Since most massage schools are just looking to fill their classes they tend to make massage careers look glamorous and appealing. While in the past most massage therapists have started their own business, many more are now taking those low paying Massage Envy jobs which will be affecting the whole massage profession and changing it from one of healing, compassion and learning to just another job.
The massage profession also is in the midst of a big controversy over licensing and legislation issues. How much training and education is required to become a successful massage therapist? How is massage and medical massage defined? We have yet to define these things for ourselves so now insurance companies are doing it for us. (In WA State there is one insurance company creating a special massage credential that defines how much education is required for a massage therapist in their provider network.)
So what is in our future? How can we take more control of where we are going as a whole and not let the economy and money over-ride client/patient care?
The Future of Massage – Whitney Lowe
