Starting pay?

[Pompal 09.]

I'm sure it's been asked a million times but I could not find any straight answers. After graduating a 500+ hour course and recieving the national cert, How hard might it be to find a job straight from school and what sort of yearly income might I expect? Thank You

 

[Mad Maverick]

Starting pay?

Kind of hard to say Rummy. A lot depends on where you live and what sort of clients are available to you. It also depends on whether you are going to work for someone else or be fortunate enough to work for yourself and call your own shots. That's always where the real money is for MT's but it's not always the most plausible scenario for a newbie.

I wish you much success though and hope you have a great career!

 

[James M]

Starting pay?

For finding a job, you may also want to use the "Employment Finders" we have on the forum, here ---> http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=37

 

[vaye]

Starting pay?

Hi Rummy,

Great question! I'll try to help

In short, it varies. (Of course.) A lot. But here's an idea...

You could go several different routes. In general, working for someone else will net you a lower amount than working for yourself. But just starting out, it's a trade-off, because working for someone else will give you something you may not have on Day 1 just starting out: clients. Established massage places will be able to give you a little more volume than you might experience at first.

Route 1: You can work for someone else. The pay scale for this varies a lot too. Membership-based massage establishments that offer member clients discounted services will generally pay you the bottom of the scale, somewhere in the neighborhood of $12-20/hr. Not great. Other places pay more. I worked at my massage therapy alma mater after graduating, as a licensed therapist, to keep their clinic open between graduating classes. I was paid different rates for different types of work - a minimum of $25/hr for a Swedish massage, on up to about $40/hr for more specialized work (which required some further training) - this is Dallas, TX, 2004, to give you an idea. Some places pay even more. I worked with a chiropractor in Jan 2008 (again, north Dallas suburbs) who paid $45/hr - again, for deeper, more advanced work, and this was after about 4 yrs experience. (Note: at my massage school, tips--usually between $5-10, but occasionally $20--were extra on top of the wages I mentioned - I got tipped at the chiro, too, but not nearly as often.) Some mobile massage companies pay more - $50/hr + tips. The tips can be decent, from $10-25.

Route 2: You can work for yourself right out the gate. I knew several friends who did this. It's tough, though, because you're spending a lot of (uncompensated) time, working hard to promote yourself and get your name out there. The upside is, you set your hours, and you set your rates, depending on what the market will bear. There are some areas that won't bear a cent over $40/hr, and there are other places that can command $80 (or more for more advanced work). If you take this path, don't sell yourself short when setting your rates. I was strongly tempted to do this when I had just graduated. It was a self-confidence issue, and a lot of therapists face this when graduating. Top secret: your clients don't know you just graduated unless you tell them. So align your rates with the market rates in your area and play along. In my area, Dallas, I set my rates at $60 in 2004, and by 2007 I was at $70-75/hr (although with the jump in price from $60 to $70 in mid-2005 came the inclusion of hot stones in any massage at no extra charge. I did advanced work, rehab massage, hot stone, deep tissue, or relaxation, all for the same flat price). Most of my massages were 90-min, for $90 (in 2004) or $100 (in 2005). About half my clients tipped, and it was an average of $5-15 per session. Housecalls were entirely different - I charged a minimum of $100/hr for table massage at someone's. Usually $110, but I gave a discount if 2 or more people were getting massage back-to-back, which most ppl did. Tips can run better, too - I usually got anywhere from $20-40 for 2 ppl.

Route 3: You can work for someone else on select days, while you build your own private practice on the side. This is what I did. I'm not one to perpetually punch someone else's clock, but I'm also not a big social extrovert with a knack for meeting lots of people and talking to perfect strangers either, so I knew my client base would build slowly. It was a steady growth, though, and I ended up doing quite well without resorting to high-pressure tactics. Eventually, as my own business grew, I gradually cut back on working elsewhere, until I had pretty much resigned altogether to focus on my own clientele. I found this to be a happy medium because I always had income coming in, which removed the worry and anxiety that can hamper a new massage practice, and I always "kept my hands warm" (i.e. keeping in the massage groove instead of getting rusty) because I had the volume of clientele from the other place, and it also provided me a training ground that was not my own clientele, on which I developed and evolved my own style, figuring out what worked and what didn't. By the time I was exclusively self-employed, I was more seasoned than I would've been otherwise.

Just be careful who you work for. Make sure you do take time for you, so that you don't burnout. Practice good body mechanics always, and know when to say no more for the day. (The most massage I ever did in 1 day was 4 60-min and 2 2-hour massages - that's too much for me. I prefer to keep it to 3-5 hours total. 3 60-min or 3 90-min or 2 2-hour or whatever).

Per year, most make anywhere from $10k-40k, with part-timers making less and those working full-time at well-paying spas with top seniority and regular clientele topping out at about $60-70k.

Hope that helps!

Good luck, and plz pm me if you have any other questions

 

["Music is a Religion"]

Starting pay?

that was the best information i've gotten about massage therapy pay and options... no wonder no one posted after you, you covered it all! Thank you!