Is this career choice leading me down a dead end?

[HelpMee]

Greetings!

I've been reading along in this excellent forum for months now. I'm very appreciative that many friendly massage therapist's post here to aide those of us whom are new and eager. I was hoping perhaps somebody here may be able to quell my future fears.

My time in school is nearing it's peak and soon I will be cast out into the world of searching for work. However as that grows closer, my concerns become larger and more solemn. Currently I work at a rehab as a Restoration Aide who's job is to make sure the patients that have been rehabilitated retain what they learn. The pay is rather poor ($10.00 an hour), but it's a 9:00 - 5:30 job Monday to Friday, so I have weekends to myself and a steady paycheck. My close friend whom is a physical therapist enjoys showing me his paycheck on payday for the jollies, and the amount of money he makes is borderline two and a half times what I make. A little jealous, I signed up for massage therapy because it's somewhat similar to what I already do and I assumed I'd make quite a bit more money then what I currently get. I'm starting to think that is very much false.

Despite the constant ads and commericals I see everywhere claiming massage brings in a lot of money, I'm getting very skeptical. The teachers in my school have been doing massage for about fifteen years each and both have told me that massage rarely brings in enough money on it's own to live on. You almost always have to supplement in another job to earn a decent pay or risk serious health issues or burnout, or both. t011

Nosing about the internet for MT salaries, I came across this. I'm unable to post the website due to this forum's spam protection, but it's from thebodyworker. This woman claims that an ideal job would be the following:

1. $25.00 per hour as a full employee.
2. $25-$45 per hour if you are a sub-contractor as you have to pay your own taxes.
3. 25 hours maximum of actual hands on massage or less.
4. 15 minute increments between appointments
5. Consistent hours.
6. Consistent days off.
7. light phone duty, filing duty or other minor cleaning duties if no clients.
8. Health insurance completely paid for and option to add family members for a fee.
9. Incentives for booking repeat customers
10. Vacation pay no less than 2 weeks a year preferably 4 weeks per year (1 per quarter) to help avoid burnout and injuries.
11. Retirement funding of some sort.

Anything less then that is being taken cruel advaneforum.xxxe of according to her and you should not agree to it no matter how desperate for work you are. Now that doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds quite good. My question is, do any of you actually have a job that sounds like that? I ask this because I hear and read a lot, and I mean a lot of people say they get pay from spa's that go down as far as $9.00 an hour, plus they get working area's that are similar to a hole in the wall. My teacher took us on a field trip to her med-spa and I couldn't believe how tiny her working room was, it was barely as wide as the table! :x

As you can see, I'm extremely nervous and very disheartened that I just might have wasted my money on this. I love helping people and seeing a happy face when their illness is uplifted, but I also don't want to end up a pauper. I'm twenty-four so if things don't work out, I'm not totally screwed, but it's still an unsettling thought. Thanks very much in advance for your time and concern.

Brandon

 

[mandytandy]

I WISH I would have all those incentives with any massage job in my area and sadly it will never happen. Because I know it will never happen I know I will not be in this profession the rest of my life and preferrably out within the next 5 years.

With that said, I would not take back going to school for this. I have loved almost every minute of it. I make enough money to support myself comfortably. I have no stress at my job, not many people can say that.

 

[nostrilburier]

Is this career choice leading me down a dead end?

The teachers in my school have been doing massage for about fifteen years each and both have told me that massage rarely brings in enough money on it's own to live on. You almost always have to supplement in another job to earn a decent pay or risk serious health issues or burnout, or both.

Not necessarily true. When I was full-time I made enough money to support myself and my son. I think at the peak of my earnings I was making around $35,000 not counting tips as an employee. A small portion of that was an administrative salary that I received for doing the insurance billing but the majority of my pay was for massage.

$25.00 per hour as a full employee.

Our employees average between $25-$27.50/hour for hands-on work.

25 hours maximum of actual hands on massage or less.

Again at my peak I was doing an average of 25 massages a week. Sometimes more....sometimes less but that would have been the average.

Consistent hours.
Consistent days off.

We work a set schedule. There are opportunites to fill in if needed but that is strictly optional.

light phone duty, filing duty or other minor cleaning duties if no clients.

We do our soap notes and refile the charts. No cleaning other than cleaning up after ourselves. We answer the phone if the receptionist is occupied with something else.

Health insurance completely paid for and option to add family members for a fee.

I personally don't know any therapists who have their health insurance paid for.

Incentives for booking repeat customers

We used to do this but too many therapists cheated and tried to play games with the appt. book to get rebooking pay that they weren't intitled to so this was eliminated.

Vacation pay no less than 2 weeks a year preferably 4 weeks per year (1 per quarter) to help avoid burnout and injuries.

We get anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on how long we've worked there.

Retirement funding of some sort.

Just like the insurance thing.....I don't know any therapists who have retirment funding.

Anything less then that is being taken cruel advaneforum.xxxe of according to her and you should not agree to it no matter how desperate for work you are.

Well, that may be her opinion but people have to decide for themselves.

I seriously doubt that you will ever make as much money as your PT friend but he had to go to school many years longer than you. If you want to make the same as him, then consider supporting yourself doing massage while going to school for PT???

Angie

 

[daddyzlilangel.......x]

I'm working full time (30 total hrs/wk) and receiving benefits at my job at a health club.

Pay - $7hr between clients when doing other things, $27.50hr for hands on work. Their goal is 3.5-4hrs hands on per day.

Benefits - health insurance (depending on policy chosen, I have an HMO for about $65 bi-weekly) dental and life insurance (less than $20 bi-weekly). If I'm scheduled to work a holiday I get paid double (or get to take another day off) and after a year I get 5 days paid vacation and start accumulating sick days.

The scheduling is pretty reasonable - if I NEED time off, while it's preferred I get someone to cover my hours, with enough notice I can just work a different day to make it up. There is also on site day care for a pretty reasonable cost (games, sports, swimming, climbing rock walls, craft time etc.)

I'm actually quite happy with the situation, but I could be busier. The club has been undergoing some improvements and we're getting together more to push for better promoting. Right now I'm averaging 5-15 massages per week, but 15-20 would be pretty sweet. If I can get to that range, life will be reasonably comfortable.

 

[When The Sun Goes Down]

The first thing that should have been told to you is what was told to me: If you are in this for the money, you won't be in this for long. I think thats been a major problem (at least in this area) with the private, high tuition massage schools is they get these people in thinking "oh I can afford $17k in tuition because when I'm done I'll be making $60 an hour x 40 hours a week= I'll be rich!!" WRONG. Nobody ever tells these people that full time for a MT is considered 17 hours a week....until its too late.

Now don't get me wrong, I know a lot of MT's who live a more than comfortable life, just doing massage therapy full time. Some go back to their schools and teach a few classes every semester. Are they driving BMW's and living high on the hog? No. But they have nice homes, new cars, and go on vacation/seminars/retreats pretty much when they want.

I decided I wanted to be an MT after a combination of years of people telling me how good I was with my hands, and being stuck in the printing industry making not much more than you. Always having to beg for time off, feeling guilty when I had to call in sick, working 60 hour weeks and not making crap. I wanted to be my own boss, have more free time, and make my own schedule while still living comfortably. I just finished school this past May, and it was pretty hard just starting out but things are finally starting to come together. I secured a job with a chiropractor a few weeks before school got out, and although I'm not making what I would like to thats my steady paycheck that I don't have to stress about. I finally started getting some personal clients which is where you make the real money. I've never been unable to pay my bills, and I'm actually starting to do some *Gasp* holiday shopping early! I've recently decided to return to school in the spring and get my personal training certification so I can continue to have a flexible schedule with added income. One thing that I am fortunate to have is health insurance through my boyfriends work...so if anything that does make life easier.

If you want to make big bucks, then I suggest you finish up massage school and go for PT assisting or something like that. If you want a rewarding career where you can help change peoples lives on a daily basis AND get paid for it, stick with MT. It will be hard at first to establish yourself, and ya you may have to take some crappy jobs at the beginning just to get some time under your belt but it will happen. It's rewarding, the possibilities are endless, and it still beats being stuck where you are now.

Good luck!

 

[jared_e42]

Is this career choice leading me down a dead end?

I seriously doubt that you will ever make as much money as your PT friend but he had to go to school many years longer than you. If you want to make the same as him, then consider supporting yourself doing massage while going to school for PT???
Angie

Agreed. While you may not make as much as he will being an MT, you will have a definite advaneforum.xxxe that most going to school as a PT don't have. Add to the fact your current work experience, time, patience and a little hard work, you could make as much as he is.

Don't want to go to school as long as he did? What about a PTA? Both jobs are in high demand right now, and you could still do massage on the side on your own for now and till when ever. Just a thought....

 

[ardi]

This is the problem...

I'm the owner and writer of that website http://www.thebodyworker.com.

It has become one of my pet peeves about the profession. The massage profession itself is creating this mindset that massage therapists can't make a decent living.

This whole thing is very interesting and really tells more about your personal beliefs about making money.

So many MT say things that it "isn't about the money" - they say that because they most likely don't have any!

The truth is that you can make as much money as you want in this profession if you are willing to do the work to change your beliefs, build your self confidence and self esteem and ask for the pay that you need to make $100,000 a year or more. I picked that number because it is never associated with this profession.

The jobs out there are low paying because many spa owners aren't massage therapists - they are business people making money on massage therapist employees. Because massage therapists are so desperate (or I don't know what) they keep taking these jobs and putting up with intolerable conditions. Talk always comes around to a union, but I don't know if that would do much. It has to come from within each massage therapist- the unshakable belief in themselves to ask for better pay and benefits and also do the work that will is worth that - not just in the massage technique it self.

I also hear horror stories from employers about flaky massage therapists who have a melt down 2 minutes before their client is showing up or that the MT doesn't show up and they also are set on doing things their way instead of what the client wants.

There are jobs out there that pay that. If you can't find one in your neighborhood - how about going out there and creating one instead of worrying about it. You also can make more by starting a business which is what most people do - but massage schools seem to forget to tell you that sometimes.

How much money you have or are making is a direct reflection of how much you value yourself and your beliefs about yourself and money. For some reason the massage profession seems to attract those who have challenges in believing in themselves.

And I know first hand about those struggles after being in this profession and working full time supporting myself for 18 years. I know it is hard to ask to be paid $75 and hour and I just went up to charging $90 an hour and it felt amazingly great!

Start reading things like "Think and Grow Rich", 'Women and Underearning" by Mikelann Valterra, Women and Money by Suze Orman.

I also talk about this on my blog at http://www.massagepracticebuilder.com

Thanks for bringing up this very important issue.

Julie Onofrio

 

[wild bill]

Hi! I agree, this is a topic that needs to be discussed, because it continues to be an issue in a number of different ways.

I really hope that what I'm about to say helps someone, and it is in NO WAY meant to offend anyone, so I hope nobody feels slighted by anything here. I'm just one person, with imperfect perceptions and my own opinions, but here's my take...

Massage therapy is what you make of it. That's one of the practical/business-side beauties of this field. You can literally take any path you want.

Jobs that pay low exist because there are MTs out there who will take them. In fact, one of my pet peeves about our profession is its degradation. Too many people get into this field for the wrong reasons, develop mediocre skills, have poor people skills, and no outside-the-box pioneering spirit at all. One of my pet peeves about our society in general is people who agree, of their own free will, to take a job, and then they spend most of their time complaining about what they think they're entitled to.

Personally, I prefer (and advocate) self-employment. For anyone who might be teetering on the fence between self-employement or not, and who might need a little boost, let's see how it stacks up...

1. $25.00 per hour as a full employee.
2. $25-$45 per hour if you are a sub-contractor as you have to pay your own taxes.

1. & 2. I make $60-70 per hour and with a decent CPA, pay low taxes.

3. 25 hours maximum of actual hands on massage or less.

In the last 2 weeks, I've made about $1200. This is our sloooow summer season, too. I've spent about 20-25 hours total on massage-related activities (this includes laundry, driving to outcalls, setting up on an outcall, preparing my studio for in-call, responding to emails, retreiving voice mails and returning phone calls, writing SOAP notes, washing hot stones, etc). In the last 2 weeks, I've made more than my husband did as a 911 operator and I worked about 1/4th of the time.

4. 15 minute increments between appointments

I schedule anywhere from 30-60 mins between appointments, depending.

5. Consistent hours.
6. Consistent days off.

Always. I choose everything!

7. light phone duty, filing duty or other minor cleaning duties if no clients.

Yep.

8. Health insurance completely paid for and option to add family members for a fee.

Don't really need it. It doesn't adequately cover anything that actually works, such as massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, herbs, etc. So I find it best to carry a high-deductible catastrophic-only policy to cover my behind should I get into a car wreck or need some massive reconstruction or other operation.

9. Incentives for booking repeat customers

Got that too--solid business (I do find that too few places reward MTs for their repeat business. They fail to realize that MTs are the backbone of their business. Which is part of the reason why I'm the backbone of mine. I've worked for other places and, well, let's just say I don't anymore.)

10. Vacation pay no less than 2 weeks a year preferably 4 weeks per year (1 per quarter) to help avoid burnout and injuries.

Yep.

11. Retirement funding of some sort.

Actually, the good news is, anyone can do this on their own, with a good ethical consultant. And, you'll probably end up better off than if your company did it for you. It starts with intelligent spending and saving patterns and a good savings account, and then from there, you can work with someone to research high-yield mutual funds with long reliable track histories, and voila! A popular-and-growing AM radio talk show host devotes his whole show to exactly this topic. Shameless plug, no vested interest: http://www.daveramsey.com for more info.

Make no mistake, any fringe benefit we ask for cuts into the funds a business sets aside for labor costs. The more comprehensive the insurance plan or the more generous the retirement fund benefits, the less they can afford to pay out in salaries NOW. I personally like to get more now and then allocate the money myself, but again that's up to each person

-------------------------

In the end, it's each person's individual choice. Self-employment isn't perfect for everyone, but its benefits measure up (and often surpass) those of working for another entity. The truth is, you CAN make a decent living. I came close to $30k in my first year of practice, and I beat that number in my second year. My fiscal year ends in December, so we'll have to see if I can reach my new goal of $40k or not. The truth is, anyone can do this. We do minimal advertising, and we've never paid for it, either. My true goal is to see every deserving MT get compensated fairly for their work and recognized as the professionals we are! It is my hope, however, that number-crunching aside, we're in it for the RIGHT reasons, and that is to empower our clients in the journey to their own health and wellness

OK, I think my soap box crumpled underneath me LOL Hope this helped someone!

I wish YOU luck in whatever YOU decide

Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[Halo]

Thank you everyone for your sueforum.xxx input regarding this concern of mine. I highly value all of your thoughts and information. t023

Gauging from the responses of some of the most successful therapist's posting in this thread, it would seem the money is very much out there. Julie has been working in this field for over a decade now and her labor and efforts have come into fruition. Jyoti is self employed and is making a rather impressive amount of money as well. Their claims are a testament that indeed, the proof is in the pudding. While I am a little more relieved that my path to healing the needy and making enough of a profit to put food on my plate every day is a reality though massage therapy, I still have some worries. :|

This is slightly off-topic, but are any of you familiar with Seinfeld? If you are, you may recall the episode The Note where George gets a massage from the male therapist. I just saw this one about a week ago and I couldn't help but gape open-mouthed on just what the media views massage therapist's as, especially the men (if you never saw it, you can just type in George Gets A Massage on YouTube. Prepare to be floored...). As a man, I'm highly susceptible to the mental stigma's from not only men, but women, concerning massage. Some women are nervous regarding male therapist's because they are afraid we might touch them in a dishonorable way and feel safer in the care of another female. Men generally choose female therapist's for obvious reasons, so I already have a handicap before I get into the field due to this gender discrimination. Some people may regard this as "different folks different strokes", but sadly this field does tend to favor the girls a little more then the gents. :

Coming back around to employment under a business's wing and demanding a higher pay, I agree completely. A boy that graduated my class earlier then me obtained a job in about a month. He came back with a frown on his face about his experience on how it went. He was making a pitiful $9.00 an hour part time because they wouldn't give him full time since he just started, then he ended up getting pseudo-fired because a snooty client complained to the manager that his pressure was too light despite the boy claimed he gave him constant pressure as requested. Even though the client was the typical "pressure wh$re", the manager told him to go back to school for a "refresher course" and was temporally let go. My teacher let him use us as his guinea pigs for a week and he was excellent, I saw no problems. My teacher was so furious at how unprofessional this manager was, I too couldn't believe it. Not only was the student payed scraps that Oliver Twist himself would turn up his nose at, but his treatment by the manager is appalling, it's massage slavery! t079

Now to my initial question regarding that: how could I hope to persuade a spa to give me a decent amount of money when so many others are willing to work for less? They'd just laugh and shoo me away, hell I probably would if I was the head person. Why take this therapist asking for a ton of money when some other poor desperate person will work for less? I honestly see no remedy to this situation. t102

Please forgive me if I sound very negative, I really want to be upbeat about massage therapy since I'm already on the train and I can't get off, at least not yet. Again I thank everyone for your wealth of information, I really am thankful. t109

Brandon

 

[bluasakura]

Brandon- I send you a PM.

 

[sk8erboy]

This is one of the things I see and have also done to myself consistently through the years (and it is 18 years -more than a decade- almost 2 decades) - beating yourself up...

Being a male in a female dominated profession is again all about what you make it out to be. Letting yourself buy into the whole thing that you will not be able to get a job at a spa is up to you. There is a site http://www.massagenerd.com by Ryan Hoyme who is in Minnesota and he wrote an article for me a long time ago on males in the profession.
http://www.thebodyworker.com/malemassagetherapistissues.htm

He has a long list of comments he got from men on that article on his site. http://www.massagenerd.com/Male_Massage_Therapist.html

If you feel you have a handicap being male - you will have a disadvaneforum.xxxe.

I never saw the George getting a massage until just now and just thought it was funny. Because you took it another way means it is reflecting your beliefs about yourself. It is important to look at those beliefs because they will be the thing that lead to your struggles in the massage profession or any profession for that matter.

The massage profession itself has created the stigma of getting a massage from a male. Spas or clinics will ask if you want a female or male therapist instead of just saying - your appt will be with Joe at 3.

You won't be looking for a spa to pay you more than any other employee, you will be looking for a spa or clinic that pays both the same or pays depending on your experience or pays what you need to make to make a decent living. That will mean finding a place to work that respects massage therapists - male or female. It is also a matter of educating places like that who don't respect MT and pay them less. Low paying jobs are a good place to start and just do as many massages as you can and learn as much as you can and be a stellar MT so that you can get a better paying job or create your own business. And while being self employed does usually pay more - you also have to consider your expenses and what your actual hourly income is. There are jobs out there that will pay and you can teach an employer about what you can do for them and why you think you should be paid a higher rate- what are you going to do for them? How will you increase their business? Even if you start at a low rate of pay- how can you work really hard and prove to them you are worth it? What if it is an elite spa that pays their experienced employees $80 an hour but a beginning job is only $10 - would you work there to get to the $80 no matter how long it took or what you had to do? Being successful also requires a certain amount of passion for what you do. Do you love doing massage so much that you would do it for free with an open heart? Doing so would probably bring you more in the long run...

The other thing that brings up red flags is your statement

While I am a little more relieved that my path to healing the needy a

Healing the needy??? Do you really think that is what your role is?

From what I have learned after 18 years of doing this work is that you can't really heal anyone - they heal themselves. It is one of the major issues that will lead to burnout in this profession. Hearing your fears and how you turn them into complaints is all too familiar. I didn't get it until I just started writing my websites and focusing on what it is that I do want instead of always looking at what I didn't have.

Julie
http://www.thebodyworker.com
http://www.massagepracticebuilder.com

 

[convana]

When it comes to the male-female thing I wouldn't worry about it too much. You are right, there are guys out there who just aren't comfortable being touched by another guy, and girls who may feel the same. All I know is when I need a good massage thats going to be rehabilitative, deep and actually going to make a change I see my male therapist. Guys just naturally have more strength than girls do, and I think you can use that to your advaneforum.xxxe.

Ever think about getting into sports massage? Pro teams, college teams, high schools all use massage therapists for their athletes! Talk about a great job, with great pay and benefits!!

 

[Early Cuyler]

I'm always surprised by guys who feel stigmatized by their gender. I have never had a problem being a male MT. I can see where maybe it might be an issue in some spas (I am guessing as I've never worked in one but that's what I hear on these boards) but in the outcall world a guy can really do well. You just have to believe in yourself and do a really good job.

 

[Morey000]

Thank you very much Julie for your reply, it is appreciated. t006

If you feel you have a handicap being male - you will have a disadvaneforum.xxxe.

I see your point on trying not to be too harsh on myself just for being a male. You must understand though, from the start of my class I had been alerted of this possible set-back by my teachers whom are both male and female. It's not a "what-if" musing I hatched on my own, it was inserted into my thinking from square one. Were my teachers wrong to claim men will have it naturally tougher then females? I don't really have the experience to answer that question as I have not been in the business long enough. :?

I never saw the George getting a massage until just now and just thought it was funny. Because you took it another way means it is reflecting your beliefs about yourself.

:biglaugh: Well I'd be surprised if you didn't laugh, it is quite funny. I might have laughed harder if I wasn't a therapist in training. What disturbed me was how totally unprofessional this man was being represented. He didn't dim the lights, didn't have music on, engaged in personal conversations, began removing the clients garments himself, didn't have sheets on, no headrest, etc. Now I understand it's satire, but I found it insulting to my trade. I guess I just can't take my own medicine. While I'm on the topic of insults, I'm really getting weary of constantly having to correct people when they call me a "masseuse". For one, that's a woman, and two, I'm a massage therapist, not some bimbo working in a bar. Let's not forget the overly abundent "happy ending" cracks I hear. People don't know any better so I can't blame them, but I still get pretty flustered. I feel sometimes that my career choice gets no respect at all and it's just a giant joke. t013

Low paying jobs are a good place to start and just do as many massages as you can and learn as much as you can and be a stellar MT so that you can get a better paying job or create your own business.

This is inevitable and I'll accept it, I am just coming out of school so I can't hope for a lot of money. I'm not a gold-digger expecting to be rich in my first year, I'm just trying to measure up the pro's and con's of this trade before I get too deep in. Sadly I didn't do this evaluation from the start which was my undoing, but if I made a mistake it wouldn't be too late to change my direction which is why I'm presenting my thoughts on the matter to have professional opinions.

Healing the needy??? Do you really think that is what your role is?

Yes actually, I do. :massage: I am practicing neuromuscular massage which aids in the body's natural healing process, so in a sense I am not taking an illness or problem and completely rectifying it like say a doctor resetting a broken bone in somebody's foot, but I am helping to relieve damaged tissue and alleviate upset nerves. I guess our views on healing vary, to me it's the act of mending and accelerating regaining health. Again, I'm just starting out and I'm merely a student, but if a massage therapist isn't doing at least that much, what is it that they do?

Brandon

 

[jeremy.isley]

So I finally did some more numbers... I'm sure there are angles I'm not considering, but here goes:

Wikipedia says that the Census says that the median personal income in the US is $39,336 per year.

Assuming a "full practice" of an average of 20 hours of massage per week, with two weeks vacation, we get a minimum price of around $40/hr. Note: this is what you have to be able to pay yourself after business expenses, so the actual price would have to be higher.

Now let's look at the real world... St. Louis, MO has pretty much an average cost of living. What are people charging for massage there? Searching online, I found prices ranging from $34 to $99 per hour. Excluding the outliers, the average was $66/hr. I don't know what overhead to assume, but that's around $65,500 per year gross.

So what's the cost of living in your area? In my city, it's 177%. That means to match the average MT in an average city, I need to be charging around $116/hr!

Of course SF is an odd example. What's yours?

Now ask yourself, are you an average massage therapist?

 

[Ryan P]

As a male therapist, I have had no problems building a steady client base at a set location. Over the last year or so I have established a good rep for treatment of myoskeletal problems, particularly post-injury and post-surgery care. Most of my new clients are referred by medical pros or by others I have treated.

Sure, there are people that will always prefer a female therapist, but many will give you a shot if they hear enough good about you.

 

[Renee P]

it's tough for males at first building clientele. if you do good work, the clients will help you market. word of mouth. the tough part is getting in the doors. most spas and business won't even bother making interview when your male. yes , there is discrimination against males. there is a market for males though. many out there prefer males but they don't know how to find good ones. most client will go to spas for massage, they would not think of going to clinical place or private practice. they don't know how to find those places. it also depends on location of what city you work in. some have more competition than others. here in SF, spas everywhere with low therapist skills. and city make it hard for private practice. only way to make decent living is to go out on your own business as many places don't pay well. and those that do pay well, they have lack of positions as those are small practice. it's all about networking in any service field. marketing a service is different from marketing products. it's not a dead end job if you love your work and help people. it's a dead end job if you think massage will make you rich and you don't care about the work.

 

[neuve1]

massage as a career

Firstly on the male therapist thing. I think the most important thing is to have the support of your receptionists. At one job I had a receptionist actually saying "Now the therapist is a male, is that ok or would you prefer a female therapist?". Needless to say, that receptionist was also a fellow therapist hungry for more bookings herself...this situation was resolved in a friendly fashion.

As far as the dead-end career goes, I think if you just specialize in one type of massage and just work at the one place of employment you are possibly digging a big hole for yourself. You really need to diversify and get yourself out there. The sooner you can get your own practice or rent a room the better too, otherwise the only people making money are the people who've already got it (ie your employers).