The Average Wages of a Massage Therapist
Massage therapists manipulate the muscles of the body to relieve stress, provide pain relief and rehabilitate injuries. They can work at massage facilities, spas, hospitals or at client's homes. Training standards vary by state but generally require a formal post-secondary program. States also require a license that is granted after passing a state exam or one from the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork or the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination.
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Types
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Massage therapists can specialize in one or more types of massages, or modalities, such as deep-tissue massage, reflexology, sports massage and Swedish massage. Many work part-time or are self-employed, earning median hourly rates of $16.94, with a range of $8.30 to $33.01. Those that work full time are often a part of a larger massage practice with several therapists, and an administrative assistant who can schedule clients, and handle billing and insurance forms. Their median salary is $35,230 per year, with a range of $17,270 to $68,670. These figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of May 2009.
Workplaces
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The most common types of employers of massage therapists are personal care services, which include massage facilities and self-employed therapists. These businesses comprise almost 44 percent of the available 55,920 jobs and pay better than the median at $18.13 an hour or $37,700 per year. The best-paying employers are specialty hospitals, excluding psychiatric and substance abuse centers. They offer $26.49 an hour or $55,100 a year, but a low employment rate with only around 50 available positions.
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Cities
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The city with the best employment opportunities for massage therapists is Napa, California, known for the vacation industry that takes advantage of the wine country. The mean wage for massage therapists in Napa is $19.49 or $40,5440 a year. The city with the highest-paying massage therapist employers is Anchorage, Alaska. Its high cost of living pushes salaries to $41.60 per hour or $86,530 per year, but the concentration of massage therapists is at 1.5 per thousand.
Outlook
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The BLS sees jobs for massage therapists growing at 19 percent until 2018. This should produce faster than average increases in compensation. The growth comes as more and more individuals learn about the advantages of massage therapy. Though job prospects are good, new massage therapists should expect to work only part-time at hotels, hospitals and massage facilities until they can build up regular clientele, which provides full-time work.
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References
- Photo Credit Lower body massage as part of a full body Thai massage. image by Deborah Benbrook from Fotolia.com
