When I first started doing massage back in 1987, no one really thought of trying to go out and find a job in massage. There just weren’t that many. Becoming a massage therapist meant that you started your own massage business right out of massage school.
The current salary statistics that I mentioned in an earlier post on the future of massage don’t make the massage profession look very appealing. One of the problems is that we don’t really have accurate statistics about massage jobs because there are so many massage therapists who do start their own practice.Today there are more and more places hiring massage therapists – Franchises like Massage Envy, Day spas, destination spas, hospitals, chiropractors, clinics, hospices, nursing homes, dentists, chair massage places. With more places hiring massage therapists, the more competitive the job markets.
I am also seeing a trend through my website www.massagetherapycareers.com of more high school students looking at massage therapy careers. The current average age of massage therapists is 45 according to ABMP and AMTA. With more younger people joining the work force they are taking the entry level jobs that pay $12-$15 an hour.
So what is the key to finding a massage job that pays $30-$45 an hour which is a fairly decent wage level?
People seem to be blindly searching for massage jobs out of fear and desperation rather than taking their time to figure out what it is that they want for themselves.
One of the things I recommend to massage therapists that are just starting out is to go to a variety of places and get a few massages there. Find out what it is like to work there by being a client there first.
What kind of place do you want to work at? A spa, chiropractors office or other clinical setting?What are the current employees like?
What is the atmosphere like?
Is this a place that you would like to work for?
After you know more about a place you can then set up informational interviews with the managers of the places that you would most like to work for. Ask them questions about the business so you can get more information about whether or not you want to work there or not.
Most people go about it the other way approaching places looking for a job and waiting to see if they get hired there without really knowing what they are getting into.
The other thing that massage therapists seem to forget is that even though they are going to work for someone else, they are the reason why people come back for more massages and refer all of their friends and keep the business going. You still have to have good customer service and marketing skills to educate clients as to why they should come more often. You also have to be able to tune into clients and find out what they really need. Spas are more difficult to work at in some ways because you only get one hour to make a connection with a person as many are only coming in for that one a year massage treat. All massage businesses depend on repeat clients and referrals and is mainly a result of how good the massage is, the connection between the massage therapist and client and the client getting their needs met.
I am in the process of writing a new ebook on finding a job in massage therapy. What challenges did you or are you having finding a job in massage? What things are you finding from working for a massage employer that you didn’t expect or do not like? What are you finding out about the massage job market and employers that you would want others to know so that they can look out for these things in an interview or informational process?
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I really appreciate you taking the time to put this kind of information out there! This already is helping me, I graduated last year from a massage school and have yet to really work in the industry, there are not many places that are posting these kind of jobs out there. I feel I am missing the key to getting these jobs, and have not really sat down and decided what I wanted for myself. Thank you again!