Massage therapists are getting younger or so The AMTA Massage Industry Research Report says:
Nearly sixty percent (57.8 percent) of school administrators responded that the average age of students has declined at their school in the past five years, according to the 2008 AMTA Massage School Survey. School administrators estimate that the average student is 30 years old, with 36.6 percent being 25 years old or less.
Previous statistics from both the AMTA and ABMP showed the average age of massage therapists to be around 44.
Why is massage attracting younger people and what will the effects on the profession be from this change?
Massage schools enrollment is declining which means that massage schools are needing massage students. Massage schools are recruiting high school students to fill their massage schools. Federal Grants are also available to massage students which allows younger people without much money to go to massage school.
My website www.massage-career-guides.com which used to be www.massagetherapycareers.com was overwhelmed with questions from high school students asking about careers in massage and what was required to get into school. Their biggest concern was over whether or not you had to take math and how much you could make.
My career in massage has been a lifestyle and journey. It was and still is a calling – something that I was just meant to do. Through it I learn a tremendous amount about myself and about what it really means to be a massage therapist. I became a massage therapist because I love learning about health and I like helping people (which of course was also loaded with learning opportunities!). If high school students are drawn to the massage profession because they don’t have to take math – what will that do to the quality of massages being done and the massage profession overall?
I also was quite intrigued by this discussion on linked in or facebook (I can’t remember which or find the post) talking about younger massage students who were always texting during massage school and even during a massage! They were doing it to prove that they could and they said something like ‘the client won’t know anyways’!!
These younger massage students are also the one’s who are getting jobs at places like Massage Envy that don’t pay much so it is keeping Massage Envy in business (Is that a good or bad thing? we really don’t know that either- more posts coming!)
My concern over younger people joining the massage profession is also about whether or not a younger massage therapist can really understand what massage really does and be able to understand the therapeutic relationship and create and hold boundaries. But I guess I didn’t get it either when I first started 20 years ago and many older adults don’t really get it either.
I am also concerned about the level of service that younger people provide (or not provide) just in the way of basic communication skills and customer service. When I go into spas and find younger people working the appointment desk I just cringe at the things they say – “All deep tissue is the same” is my favorite!
I used to be totally against licensing of any sort and of even requiring massage training beyond 100 hour of education because that is all it really does take to be able to just do an efficient massage (That will be a whole other post soon.) I now am thinking that it would be best if younger massage students did get 3-4 years of massage school that could add in the extra training in ethics, business and communication skills as well as learning to be present and work with the therapeutic relationship. If this is going to be a continuing massage trend- students and massage therapists getting younger – we need to keep up with the changes and not let these students be left behind.
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I’m always amazed how prople who have no idea what they’re talking about can make so many ignorant comments. The statement suggesing that “These younger massage students are also the one’s who are getting jobs at places like Massage Envy that don’t pay much so it is keeping Massage Envy in business (Is that a good or bad thing? we really don’t know that either- more posts coming!)” suggesting that only young, inexperienced massage therapists apply at & work at massage Envy clinics is a totally false & uninformed statement.
There are thousands of very mature, experienced massage therapists who are gainfully employed at over 650 Massage Envy clinics throughout the USA. If the grass were so green elsewhere they’d be working elsewhere.
Pleaser get your facts straight before commenting on Massage Envy or other things until you have the facts. Peace!.
Yes you are right. I shouldn’t blame it all on Massage Envy. They were the first franchise to really succeed and there are other low end franchises. There are other people who work at ME and low end franchises. The problem is that there isn’t any really ‘elsewhere’ in many places so massage therapists have to just accept these low paying jobs. The kids going to massage school find $15 appealing but you can’t really make a living doing that for long. Where would kids out of high school most likely be able to get a job at? Massage Envy.
Massage Envy is always so controversial as you well know if you work there as you indicate in your email address. They may be gainfully employed but are they thriving and making $50,000-$100,000 a year?