Massage Therapist
What is a massage theripist does
Massage therapy is the practice of using touch to manipulate the soft-tissue muscles of the body. It is performed for a variety of reasons, including treating painful ailments, decompressing tired and overworked muscles, reducing stress, rehabilitating sports injuries, and promoting general health. Clients often seek massage for its medical benefit and for relaxation purposes, and there is a wide range of massage treatments available.
Salary and Working Conditions
Average hourly wage and yearly salary earned by the lowest 10th percentile of massage therapists is around $8.80 per hour and $18,300 per year whereas those in the 90th percentile of them received $33.21 per hour and more than $69,070 per annum. In addition to that, an average salary for a massage therapist is around $35,830 per annum.
Required Educations
- 165 hours minimum of anatomy and physiology, to include:
- physiology;
- anatomy;
- kinesiology; and
- forty (40) hours minimum of pathology.
- 150 hours minimum of training in massage therapy as defined in 16.7.1.7 NMAC.
- The massage therapy training shall include contraindications of massage therapy.
- A minimum of 100 hours of hands on training must be completed before the student is allowed to begin a clinical practicum as defined in 16.7.1.7 NMAC.
- 75 hours minimum of general instruction to include.
- business;
- hydrotherapy;
- thirty (30) hours minimum of professional ethics;
- four hours of first aid; and
- four hours of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Pros/Cons
Pros:
Therapists who truly enjoy helping people will never tire of the work. The will to heal others through touch is something deep within the soul that generally stays with a person for the rest of their lives. It's very fulfilling for many at the end of the day knowing they made a positive difference for someone. A massage therapist considers anything over 15 hours of work a week full-time.
In the right circumstances, the pay is much better than average. A one-hour massage can cost anywhere between $45 to hundreds of dollars, depending on skill, experience, and location. If you run your own practice, that's 100% in-your-pocket profit.
Cons: The average expectancy of a massage therapist to stay in their field is 2-5 years, at which point some enter a "burn-out" phase. They no longer want to be in massage, their wrists have developed Carpal Tunnel or some other discomfort, their back is in pain from bending over all the time, or something else occurs.