Becoming A Massage Therapist - Is This The Field For You?

Many people looking for a fast growing career are seeing that being a massage therapist is a great opportunity. And becoming great in this alternative medicine field can have a nice payoff. You really cannot blame those following the trend because there is a lot of work, low start up costs and great pay. Massage therapy is a relaxing career that anyone can benefit from. It is also very rewarding to know that you have healing hands and you can make people happy just by rubbing their back, shoulders or even their feet.

For those who want to go into this rewarding career there are many schools that offer courses in massage therapy. You can do a search for an online course or go to your local college or university and ask about their massage therapy courses. There are even schools that specialize in the teaching of alternative and natural medicine such as massage therapy. However, many would say that online courses are likely to be less efficient than the hands on experience you will receive in a classroom.

In order to gain certification to work in massage therapy, there are a number of things you have to do according to the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. You must have 500 hours of instruction from a school that has been approved to teach the course by the US Department of Education. The 500 hours includes 200 hours of massage and body work assessment, 125 hours of anatomy, body systems, physiology and kinesiologly, 40 hours of pathology, 10 hours of business and ethics which must include 6 hours of ethics and an additional 125 hours of training. You must also pass an exam through the NCBTMB to prove your competency in massage therapy skills.

There are many things that help decide what kind of money you could make in the massage therapy field. First is the decision on whether you are going to work for someone or you are going to work for yourself. Second is the decision on how much you want to work. Third, your pay will mostly depend on your location, this means where you are in town, what town you are in and what state you are in. So if you were to work 5 to 6 days a week, 48 weeks a year, you could make about $65,000, to $75,000 yearly income.

It can be tough to be a massage therapist and be on your feet constantly all day. You must remember to pace yourself and not get too worn down. If you overwork yourself it can affect your ability to perform and thus affect your pay. There are other reasons that this job can be tough as well. You may find that not only your feet hurt at the end of the day but your hands, back and other joints may hurt as well. It may be best to unwind in a nice hot bath or get a massage yourself after working all day.