Massage Therapy Duties

Massage therapy is a fun and rewarding career that has a lot of flexibility and opportunity for advancement. If your thinking about a career in massage, you can expect high pay, short hours, basic education in a year, and a variety of specialized fields to fit your interest. You can also expect that you will be on your feet and getting a good workout every day. If you like helping others, working physically, and continuing your education, massage therapy might be for you.

The Facts

You will be massaging people from every walk of life using your hands, elbows, forearms and possibly your feet. Clients will come in most often for relaxation and deep-tissue massage. Some clients get a massage weekly or monthly as part of a preventative health plan. Others will be seeking one-time treatment for pulled muscles and knots.

Clients will be nearly or completely undressed on a massage table and covered by a protective sheet. You will uncover each section of the body as you work on it then recover it. You must be comfortable with touching other people without judgment.

Use of oils and massage lotions will create ease of movement and protection against irritation as you work. The motions will be a combination of kneading, pressure, rolling and stretching. You will be getting quite a workout as you massage using every muscle group in the body.

Time Frame

A massage session lasts any where from 30 minutes to an hour and a half, and can even run longer in special cases. You can expect to do four to five hours of massage a day. At 20 hours a week you are considered a full-time massage therapist.

Benefits

Massage therapist make, on the low end, $50 per hour, and up to $200 per hour. Plus there are many schools where you can graduate from your basic training in less than a year. The work itself is relaxing, laid back and rewarding. You have more control of your workday and the hours you work than in most professions.

Potential

There are numerous types of massage. Most therapist start out learning Swedish massage and deep-tissue therapy but eventually branch out. Some opportunities for advancement are animal massage, rolfing , reflexology, shiatsu, massage for sinus relief, pregnancy massage, among others. The more education you get, the more you can demand per hour, and the more stable your client base will become.

Considerations

Where you work will determine your pay as mush as your training. Pay is higher in large cities and resort locations and lower in more rural areas. You should also consider your physical health; massage requires lots of physical energy and strength. Even though you may only work 20 hours, you will still feel like you've worked 40.