Working for yourself as a massage therapist

View Schools that offer Massage Therapy Courses.

Massage therapy is a career which offers you the opportunity to enjoy the freedom and independence of working for yourself. In fact, over 90% of practitioners do just that. If you enjoy working with people, caring and bringing health and wellbeing to others you will be motivated to enjoy the challenge of working for yourself as a massage therapist. It means that you can manage your own workload and create a schedule that fits round the demands of your life.

For example, if you have a young family you can work during school hours so that you are free to be with them when school is out. Or perhaps you want to juggle working as a massage therapist with another career, at least until you get established – it is quite possible for you to make evening appointments only.

While there are many advantages to self-employment it does mean that you will have to market yourself in order to find clients. Many therapists contract to work with gyms, health centers or health clubs and so that is an avenue well worth investigating. Alternative and complementary health clinics are also a great avenue to explore. Usually you will rent a space within the clinic for a set number of hours a week. In return you can see clients there and make use of shared facilities such as a receptionist and any marketing and promotions which the clinic takes part in.

What works for many practitioners is a combination of working for clinics and private work from home or travelling to clients' houses. For this you will need your own transport and a portable massage couch which you can easily transport. You may want to invest in some professional business cards which you can distribute in order to spread the word about your services.

In order to get started some therapists volunteer their services to hospitals, hospices, old folks' homes and similar organizations. This is a great way to build up practical experience and to spread the word about your services. After a while you should be able to begin charging in at least some of these areas, although you may wish to continue doing some work for free on a pro bono basis.

When working for yourself as a massage therapist it is important that you are covered by relevant insurance, especially as there is a high degree of responsibility in dealing with the health and wellbeing of another human being. You are highly recommended to join one of the relevant associations and to take advantage of the insurance schemes which they offer to members.

The work is both physically and mentally challenging and so you will want to work out how many hours you can reasonably work for each week. Will you work full-time? If not, how will you manage your income? Many practitioners find that it is most satisfying to offer massage therapy on a part-time basis as this helps to keep them fresh. For some practitioners this will bring in enough income to live on, for others they will want to investigate another means of bringing in additional income.

Massage therapists have one of the most fulfilling careers, meeting many different kinds of people and helping them to combat physical pain, and alleviate stress, strain and mental distress. The rewards in terms of client feedback and customer satisfaction are high and the freedom which can be enjoyed is very different from the routine of 9 till 5.

Schools that offer Massage Therapy Courses

Trillium College

Diploma.
Massage Therapy.
Ontario.

Spa Tech Institute

Holistic Massage:

The program schedules are flexible. Students can choose to attend full-time and as a result they will graduate quickly, however for those individuals that must work while they are enrolled, they can opt to attend school part-time.

Polarity Realization Therapy Career Training:

The way energy becomes blocked, causing illness, cleared to create health or the way it manifests in the human form is Polarity. It evolved as a result of years of research between 1940 and 1980 by Dr. Randolph Stone, a Chiropractor and Osteopath who sought the answer to why some patients did not heal.

Therapeutic Massage:

Students who want to work in athletic and clinical situations will be served by the 600-hour Therapeutic Massage career program. These students will concentrate on the holistic approach, however they will also concentrate on dealing with the injury recovery and repetitive stress injury.

Certificate.
Therapeutic Massage Therapy, Holistic Massage Therapy.
Massachusetts, Maine.

Southwest Florida College

Start the career you want at Southwest Florida College. Since 1974, we’ve helped students all over Florida with a career-focused curriculum that teaches the skills that employers are looking for most. Let us help you too. With campuses in Tampa and Fort Myers, we offer state-of-the-art facilities, expert instructors and excellent job placement programs. Click here to learn more about earning a degree in Accounting, Information Technology Management, Medical Assisting, Paralegal Studies, Criminal Justice, Graphic Design and more.

Diploma.
Massage Therapy.
Florida.

The Bryman School of Arizona

Massage therapists work in various places like massage therapy clinics, private offices, doctors' or chiropractors' offices, with sports teams, resorts, at athletic clubs, yoga retreat centers, beauty salons, dance studios, cruise ships and golf courses.

Associate.
Massage Therapy.
Arizona.

American Career College

American Career College has assisted student's success for more than 29 years. There are many options for a massage therapist, such as private practice, medical or acupuncture clinics, chiropractic or physical therapy offices, day spaces, or fitness centers.

Certificate.
Massage Therapy.
California.