How Massage Therapy Career Pros and Cons Stack Up

Has anyone ever asked you what you loved the most about being a massage therapist? Conversely, they may have asked what are the downsides of your career? Your input can be invaluable to someone considering a career massage therapy, in school or just starting out.

Every career has its upsides and downsides. But until you are in the trenches you cannot really appreciate what they are. And with any career, there will be tradeoffs. A great income might require long hours and not a lot of time off. Some clients become friends; others can drain resources, energy and even money from your business.

Pointing out massage therapy career pros and cons might help someone considering a career in massage therapy decide what to do or prepare them for the challenges ahead.

Massage therapy career opportunity looks good

Before getting into massage therapy career pros and cons, let’s consider the opportunity. The good news is that massage therapists can look forward to steady employment for the near future.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for massage therapists will outpace other professions. The BLS forecasts the job market for massage therapists from 2024 to 2034 growing 15 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. [1]

Driving the future of massage therapy is greater acceptance among consumers who are looking for a more integrated approach to health care and their well-being, writes the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). [2]

AMTA also attributes support to health care providers who are starting to accept the benefits of integrative care. In 2022, researchers conducted a systematic review to determine the acceptance and use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among medical specialists. The review examined twenty-five studies between 2002 and 2017 and included 10 medical specialties. Researchers found overall acceptance of CAM at 52 percent with Family Medicine reporting the highest acceptance. The overall use of CAM was 45 percent with the highest use by Obstetrics and Gynecology. [3]

Massage therapy career pros

Steady employment for the near future is not the only good news when it comes to the pro side of the massage therapy career pros and cons. Here are others:

Compensation: The compensation for massage therapists is competitive compared to other healthcare support positions and the return on investment can be considerable since massage school typically is shorter and less expensive than a typical college degree. [4]

Continuous learning and growth: Massage therapy as a profession is committed to ongoing learning. The industry – sometimes through licensing renewal requirements and professional Board Certification – encourages massage therapy professionals to advance their skills through continuing education, workshops, seminars, and conferences.

Flexibility and independence: Many massage therapists can create their own schedules choose their preferred work environment (such as spas, wellness centers, private practice) and even offer mobile services. This flexibility enables therapists to satisfy their goal for work-life balance.

Job security: Since massage therapy is human-centered, it is hard to automate or outsource. Most massage therapy graduates find work quickly. Some 84 percent said they found a job within a month of graduation. [5]

Rewarding work: Working as a massage therapist can be truly rewarding. That is massage therapists help clients who may be suffering from a physical ailment or experiencing extreme stress and anxiety. Working as a massage therapist has a positive demonstrable impact on others.

Opportunity to specialize: Massage therapy is not a cookie cutter profession. There are many areas of specialization and types of clients. Leaders Magazine [6] points to specialization in niche therapies as one of the industry trends shaping the future of massage therapy. The magazine asserts that therapists who specialize in niche markets are likely to be in higher demand. They offer growing specialization examples including:

·         Sports massage therapy

·         Prenatal and postnatal massage

·         Medical massage

·         Corporate wellness

Travel options: Working in a spa outside the USA or on a cruise ship is highly possible. That means if travel is a priority, there are professional opportunities across the country or across the globe from Paris to Bangkok.

Massage therapy career cons

There are many benefits of a career in massage therapy. But still there are negatives. On the list:

Physical demands: Looking at the con side of a massage therapy career pros and cons, physical demands are at the top. The physical demands of the profession can make it difficult to be effective as a massage therapist. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued in 2006 indicated that more than half of massage therapist injuries were sprains and strains and more than half of these were the result of worker/motion position.  In addition, more than half of injuries were to the upper extremities, including the hand and wrist.[7]  Injuries common to professional massage therapists due to repeated or forceful bending of a limb or joint, overuse and repetitive motion include:

·         Tendonitis

·         Carpal tunnel syndrome

·         Rotator cuff strain

·         Thumb arthritis

·         Lower back pain

·         Neck strain

·         Tenosynovitis

 

Income variability: As an independent, income can fluctuate in the beginning while building a clientele. It takes strong marketing and business management skills to ultimately become successful in a private practice.

Emotional drain: Massage therapists often become confidantes for their clients. During the session, clients may convey their personal problems. The constant exposure to the emotional stress of others can lead to compassion fatigue and so the practitioner feels depleted by the needs of their clients. The fatigue can spill over into someone’s personal life.

Challenging clients: Clients may not clearly state their expectations making it difficult to completely meet their needs, which can result in conflict. Other clients tend to be argumentative and will look for anything – service, products, fees – to complain about. Also, there are clients who chronically chow up late, which throws off a weekly schedule and ultimately can cost revenue, if it becomes difficult to fit everyone in. Then, too, other clients cancel last minute and expect to rebook at their convenience.

Inappropriate client behavior:  Whether the issue is lewd comments or “seeing more than you need to” of a client sometimes a massage therapist may have to deal with inappropriate client behavior. 

Free massage requests: While it may not be the biggest downside, friends and family members may think that it is acceptable to ask for free massages. Such requests can cut into the time for paying clients and add an additional burden to the appointment schedule.

Client hygiene issues: It is not every profession where a client’s hygiene issues can make the job “at hand” unpleasant or even unsafe. A client may have an issue with body odor or of greater concern, a rash or foot fungus, which has not cleared up.

Continuing education: While continual learning is one of the benefits of being a massage therapist, ongoing professional development comes with a cost. Whether courses, workshops, or seminars, it is necessary to budget for ongoing educational requirements.

Anyone thinking of becoming a massage therapist should consider massage therapy career pros and cons. Flexibility, working in a growth sector, helping others, continual learning and options for specialization make massage therapy an attractive career path. However, the physical and even emotional demands and dealing with a range of client issues and behaviors can take its toll. As with any career, it is best to go into it with eyes wide open.