Becoming a Massage Therapist

There are many considerations, both practical and personal, in becoming a professional massage therapist.  This guide is meant to help those who are considering entering this field.  Some of the things I have written here may sound severe, but it is meant to help.  If you are considering massage as a career because you think it is a good way to make money, you are right- the average massage therapist salary is between $37,502 to $56,788 per year.  Massage is a fast growing field and it is possible to make a good living as a professional massage therapist.  If you are in it solely for the money, however, it will be hard going indeed.  To be a successful massage therapist, massage has to be something you are good at and have the energy for.  Of course, I am speaking of good massage therapists who can apply some good pressure in their massage .  It is possible to give rather gentle massages that don’t require deep pressure, and it is theoretically possible to build up a clientele which likes this kind of massage. 

The first and most important one is knowing that you want to do massage as a career.  As obvious as that sounds, many people dive into school without properly thinking through the reality of doing many massages every day in order to learn a living.  You have probably heard that massage is a fast growing field, with more and more people seeking out massage therapy as a valid and often powerful way to heal.  Massage is great, whether you are getting one or giving one.  You may have experience in helping loved ones relieve stress or perhaps even improve ailments through massage.  Working for a company doing massage or opening your own practice will be pretty different from giving the occasional massage, however.  It is hard work physically- you must be strong enough to administer a satisfying massage, depending on the type of work you are doing.  This is hard on the hands, and even more so when you are massaging one client after another.  You will often be bent over the client and unless you have perfect body mechanics, you’ll feel it.  Many massage therapists often complain of sore shoulders, backs, etc.  I am not trying to scare you away from pursuing a career in massage, I am presenting real concerns that often are not addressed or taken seriously when one is considering this field.  What I am saying is that before committing yourself to spending some big bucks for massage school, make sure you have more than a naïve enthusiasm to go on.

If you are massage therapist material, congratulations.  You first have to determine what the laws governing massage are in the place you will be practicing.  This varies from state to state in the United States, and in some cases, within a state as well.  The American Massage Therapy Association has a list of states and their licensing requirements on their website.  If you need to graduate from a massage school in order to be licensed, which is the case for most states, there are several requirements you need to fulfill to finish the program and pass the licensing exam. 

First off, you need to pass your classes in the massage therapist school of your choice.  This means both “book” classes such as anatomy and physiology as well as the hands-on portion of your massage education.  In our school, we had several hands-on “tests” throughout our 720 hour program in which we tested our skills on our teachers and received a detailed evaluation of our technique and overall massage.  These tests, while somewhat nerve wracking, were invaluable in that we got precious feedback and advice from our instructors who have years of experience as professionals.  Their feedback helped us incorporate very helpful things in our massage, whether it be technique related or advice on making the client feel comfortable and secure.  For this reason, you want to choose a school with excellent teachers. 

In terms of non hands-on classes, you will need a good memory or the will power to overcome a weak memory.  There is no other way around it- you need to memorize hundreds of bones and muscles.  That means remembering their names, location, function, as well as treatment.  It is a LOT to remember.  If this worries you, just keep in mind that many people graduate from massage school each year and that you can too, if you work hard enough.  With time and repetition, you will be able to retain more and more of what you learn.  A big advantage is that the subject is so personal- you are learning about your own body, not some far off, intangible subject.  It is a big help to always be mindful of your own body and put the information in context.  For me, I always tried to feel the bone or muscle we were learning in my own body.  Say the name out loud.  Think about each bone, each muscle, as a friend.  Or, you may find your own way of getting acquainted with your body.  In this way, anatomy can actually be quite fun as you deepen your knowledge of such an intimate subject as your own body.  Indeed, self-knowledge is one of the many personal rewards of becoming a massage therapist.

The other core component of going through school is the clinical internship.  In our school, we had to complete a 150 hour internship.  This was done via 4 hour work periods, each consisting of three one-hour massages.   You’ll find out pretty quickly if massage is a career for you.  You will probably be tired starting out, but your body will get used to the work and your skills will grow.  The most important thing in doing massage (as well as life in general) is staying present.  Without going into it too much, staying present means being relaxed and aware.  The best massages are ones in which both client and therapist are conscious of each moment, as opposed to just going through the motions.  When you stay focused and present, you are able to “listen” to the body and your treatments will be much more effective.  From my experience, I would say that massage is much more worthwhile when done from such a place of calm awareness. 

Balancing this more mystical aspect of massage is the practical- business.  Most massage programs include a business component in their curriculum nowadays.  It used to be graduates were simply turned out into the world after graduation, many of them without a clue as to how to earn a living doing massage, much less to establish a successful practice.  Part of being a successful massage therapist is knowing how to make money!  This means either finding an employer who provides massage therapist jobs or setting up your own practice.  Setting up your own practice is a serious proposition, one that includes getting your name out (marketing), managing business expenses, finding a location, and even dealing with taxes.  There are countless considerations in building a successful business and massage is no different.  You may not have thought of it, but becoming a massage therapist involves more than just giving massages. 

So make your classes fun and remember  well what you study, because that’s what you need to do to pass the licensing exam.  And that goes for ethics classes as well.  In an effort to disassociate massage therapy from “happy ending” type massages, you will be tested on the behavior expected of professional therapists as well.  This mostly means that you understand a professional massage therapy session is to be completely non-sexual in any way (completely).  That means non-sexual.  Did I mention massage therapists are supposed to offer treatments that are therapeutic only and completely non-sexual?  You will hear this many times in class and perhaps wonder why.  My guess would be that sex is a very natural, very strong urge, and this is an urge which can’t just be “turned off”.  The best we can do is manage it, but the strength of the urge means you will get very strong cautions in class.  Massage therapy in its current form is relatively new, after all, and has a reputation to establish/uphold. 

Study, study, study!  Do your best to memorize what is required.  The best way to prepare for the licensing exam is to take practice tests.  There are several study guides and practice test books available to help you pass.  If you’ve been keeping up with work in class and have been retaining the material, you should have no problem in passing. 

All in all, becoming a massage therapist involves the hard work of going through massage school and the harder work of building your own practice, if that is the route you choose.  The challenges are great but the potential rewards are equally great.  Not only can you make a good living doing honest work, you have the chance to genuinely help people and make their lives better.  If you choose this path, may you persevere and help humanity in the quest for healing.