The demand for massage therapists is increasing and massage therapy careers
are made out to be a promising future. Massage Schools and career websites make
massage careers out to be one of the best new careers to follow.
While there is a constant demand and research on massage is just
beginning to actually prove what many have already known, there
is also the other side to the massage profession - the side that
no one will mention when you are considering a career in
massage.
Jobs in massage are fairly a new phenomenon with many owners
of spas and clinics wanting to get into the multi-billion dollar
industry. Many owners of massage businesses are not
massage therapists but are in it for the business. Many do
not understand what it takes to get and keep clients. It
is the massage therapist who really is responsible for getting
repeat clients which is the key to being a successful business.
Jobs are in general low paying. Entry level positions
start at $12-$15 an hour which is not much considering that most
massage therapists only work 25-30 hours at the very most
because of the physical demands of the job.
The reality is that most massage therapists start their own businesses.
While there are more jobs out there now in spas, franchises, cruise ships and
medical offices most only pay about $15-$25 an hour and that is only when you
are doing a massage. If you don't have a client, you are usually paid
minimum wage and have other duties such as cleaning and organizing to do.
The average age of a massage therapist is 45. Massage school is geared
toward teaching adults. High School Graduates are better off going to
college for business and marketing and learning how to run a massage business.
There are some 2 year massage programs that would be better suited to a high
school student as it allows time to mature.
Massage schools are in the business of getting massage students to come to
their school. They are often making sales pitches to you so you have to go
into it knowing what it is that you want.
You will be learning things like anatomy, physiology, pathology, massage
techniques and business skills. (This site is a basic
massage school outline and
massage school notes. )There are no prerequisites except to
graduate from high school but since the average age of massage therapists is 45,
massage is best as a second or third career.
It takes some level of business, customer service skills and professionalism.
Massage has a way of bringing up deep emotional trauma in people and can cause
them to feel repressed feelings such as anger, rage and grief. Knowing how
to handle these instances requires being mature enough and self aware enough to
stay focused and maintain your boundaries in instances like this. It
doesn't always happen, but it is very possible.
