Massage Therapist Salary

Let's talk about the financial side of being a massage therapist, namely the massage therapist salary! This is a guide for people who are thinking about becoming a massage therapist and would like to get a picture of what a professional massage therapist earns.

For starters, I will lead you through the system at our massage school, which is typical of many massage schools around the country (the United States). First, you can expect to find yourself doing massage for free during your clinical internship, which must be completed before you can become licensed and get paid to do massage. Happily, though, we were able to receive tips and this was quite welcome as we were mostly rather poor students. Upon graduation and licensure, we were able to continue working in the student clinic. This can be a big plus when you are starting out- for one, you are already familiar with the clinic environment. You know where everything is- massage oils, sheets, pillow cases, cleaning supplies.

Also, if your unpaid internship has been going well, you have built up something of a clientele. So now, whereas before you were getting tips only, now you are getting paid ($19 an hour in our case) PLUS tips. It's a nice jump in wages while doing the exact same work. I would recommend this to newly licensed practitioners if their school offers such an arrangement. The pay is low compared to the $60 an hour charged by therapists in their own private practice, but keep in mind that running your own practice involves considerable effort and expenses, and that in almost all cases you have to do a good job of marketing yourself in order to get clients. This may be something you want to hold off on until you get more experience and a better idea of how to create a successful massage practice.

Once you are licensed, the (massage) world is your oyster. The work, and hence the salary, you can expect depends on where you are located. Are you working in a spa? A hospital? Your own practice? How much do you charge/get paid? Do you work part or full time? All these (and more) factors will determine your salary. The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) reports that in 2008, a massage therapist working 15 hours a week earned an average of $31, 500- pretty good for working part time. AMTA also reports average hourly pay in 2008 to be $41.50.

A note to those of you who are considering a career in massage for the money- usually you will get clients based on the quality of your massage. If your heart is not into it, or you're just doing it to get paid, it's likely you won't succeed as a massage therapist. Massage is a field in which you can make good money, but usually only if you really like the work.