Starting Salaries For Massage Therapists

One of the first things people ask when thinking about going into the massage profession is what is the starting salary for massage therapists and what is their earning potential?

Many sites and massage schools use reports from salary.com siting salaries of $45,000 or more. While there isn't any way to really tell if that is accurate or not it is significantly lower than what the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professional (massagetherapy.com) survey indicates which is:

Average massage-related income for massage therapists in 2005 was $18,950, with a median income of $14,500 (2005 ABMP Member Survey). First-year practice average income was $9,589, reflecting the challenges of establishing a professional-service practice (2005 ABMP Member Survey).

Massage therapists can find jobs in spas, clinics and in franchises like Massage Envy. The hourly wage at Massage Envy has been reported to be $15 an hour. To make $45,000 a year you would have to work 60 hours a week at a place like that.

Most massage therapists work part time in the profession and hold other jobs or have other sources of income.

While there are jobs that pay $45 an hour or more, they are few and far between. They also usually require more experience as a massage therapist.

While there are more massage jobs out there today, you are usually able to make more when you start and run your own massage business. This requires that you have some knowledge of basic business and marketing skills as well as outstanding customer service skills. Massage school does not have enough hours to teach you how to be a successful massage therapist.

When starting and building your own massage practice you also have to understand that what you can make may sound better than it really is. The average charge for a massage is $60 and the rates can actually vary depending on location anywhere from $45 an hour to $100 an hour or even more if you are doing injury work and billing insurance companies for massage. ( Most states you can bill insurance companies for motor vehicle related injuries when prescribed by a doctor.) The thing is that what you charge is not really what you actually make. You have to account for expenses like office rent, adverting, website design, marketing, and any other overhead or expenses that are related to doing business.

So while the statistics really make the outlook for the profession look bleak- there is another way. It is possible to make $100,000 a year as a massage therapist if you are willing to charge more for your services and also take risks like hiring other massage therapists. There are many successful clinics and day spas out there where you as an owner could make what you really dream about.

And yes the demand for massage therapists is growing making it a 11-18 billion dollar a year industry. To become a part of that and make a great living as a massage therapist requires that you be committed, compassionate and business minded. It really has little to do with having good hands as many may try to tell you. It is more about you and your beliefs about who you are that can lead you to being a successful massage therapist.