“I regret being a massage therapist,” if you don’t want to land up in such a state, then you need to read it till the end to make reliable decisions. Suppose you are not someone who will fit in the corporate career and are more of a social person. That is when you think of other different ways to help people. Most of us are scared of blood and doing surgeries. However, if you still want to experience the joy of helping people, massage therapy may or may not be a promising career for you. So, here is the answer to the question- Is massage therapy a promising career?
But several reasons will convince you that massage therapy is a promising career. These factors are as under:-
Massage therapy is a promising career
- Job openings
There may be no much demand for massage therapy in your area. In that case, none of your skills and educational qualifications will be of any use. Hence, research about the market demand and on-ground analysis is fundamental.
But let me give you the excellent news that massage therapists are highly in demand. You will quickly get jobs since it is a positively booming field. People are looking for alternative treatments, and it is one of the most prominent. Due to increased literacy, people are focusing on the prevention of illness rather than treating it. There are various kinds of work settings for you to work as a massage therapist. You can either do a job or open your startup.
- Demand of job
Since modern life is increasingly hectic, people are looking for a resort to relax. It means that a massage therapist will receive not only sick patients but also workaholics and other people. In the pandemic, the work from home has taken a toll on their lifestyle. It has become more sedentary, and hence they have body aches.
Due to high medical development, an increased mortality rate has lead to a rise in the understanding of wellness and physical fitness. The aged people will also require massage therapies as recommended by their doctors. Even the infants are given massages for the strength of bones and muscles. The majority of hospitals also offer massage therapy. Hence, there is a high demand for this job.
- Job satisfaction
If you require interacting with humans and continuous motivation to do your job better, then it is a perfect career for you. Your clients will give you feedback that will assist you in improving every day. Their honest feedback will benefit both of you. You will be able to serve them in an improved manner, and they will get a better service.
When a client tells you how they can walk in a better manner or are not stressed anymore, it will reward you. Job satisfaction is such a significant outcome of this career that it will make you choose it. This career will not only fetch you money and satisfaction but also good physical and mental health. It is a win-win situation in every way.
- Reliability of your job
In other kinds of jobs, there is corruption or cheating involved most of the time. And you are just a medium and have no option of not doing it. So if you are an ethical person, there is always a kind of tussle between your financial needs and your ethics. It can bring stress and anxiety, thereby leading to reduced productivity in your life.
In this career, you don’t have to do anything as such. You just need to believe that your massages will work on your client. You do your job, and there is no scope of being dishonest. If any of your clients are skeptical about the effectiveness of massage, then you can easily make them understand the incredible legacy of massage therapies by our ancestors.
- Several work settings
In the case of other account jobs or teaching jobs, the settings don’t vary greatly. But in the case of massages, as you saw, how various kinds of people take massages, there are many options in the settings for you. So you can work in school settings, clinics, hospitals, clubs, sports organizations, hotels, spas, counseling setup, NGOs, and many other places.
There are a lot of things that you can choose and control. For example, you can choose what kind of clients you want. If you are friendlier with school-going children rather than adults, then you can select school settings. But if you are not very good at marketing, you can choose to do a job rather than a startup. Suppose you are more comfortable with specific massages such as reflexology, medical massage, structural integration, and various other types. In that case, you can choose the work settings based on the requirement of clients.
- High income
As you have already read in the earlier points, massage therapy is high in demand, and there are also many settings in which massage therapists are required. Though the income can differ from country to country as well as your work setting, there are high chances that you will earn well. The significant advantage is that even though you have a stable job, you can also do your practice to fetch you more income.
Not only a working woman but also homemakers can manage to earn well through freelancing. Researches show that massage therapists charge 75 dollars for an hour, and hence massage therapist salary is considerably high. You don’t need any investment, and you earn an excellent profit. No kind of economic instability or seasonal influence can hamper your earnings.
- No fixed working hours
You have an excellent option of choosing the work setting that lets you have flexible working hours. If you have kids and other household or academic responsibilities or any other significant business, you can still be a massage therapist and gain the joy of helping others.
Incorporate jobs and other jobs with fixed working hours; there are high chances of stagnancy and low job satisfaction. The productivity of employees with such positions is expected, and they are also less creative and motivated to do their job. In this career, with flexible working hours, you will not experience anxiety, stress, and professional burnout, as you will have enough opportunities to take breaks and rest for a while.
- Affordable and fast training
If you don’t have enough time to get a proper degree, you can get trained to be a massage therapist in just 6 to 12 months. There are no requirements of any kind of other degrees other than MBLEx. There is no much theoretical jargon for you to remember in this educational degree. It only includes the practical knowledge that is required to do the job.
The cost of the training is also very affordable. It is just two to six thousand dollars depending on the institute and whether your program is full-time or part-time. Isn’t it good to not have any educational debt on your head? You can be independent very soon and get your place to live because there is also a high scope of growth. There is a lot to learn. The more you know, the more you can earn.
Hence, these are some of the reasons why massage therapy is a promising career. But you will be able to judge a career’s appropriateness only when you can see both sides of the coin. So, let us know some of the disadvantages of being a massage therapist.
Disadvantages of being a massage therapist
- Physically demanding
You need to understand that your body functioning needs to be very good for being a good therapist. It is not a promising career for weak people, those with bodily dysfunction, or any other kind of disabilities. You need to consistently make sure that you have energy and no injuries or pain in your own body.
If you don’t take enough care of your body, you will lose a lot of clients. In addition, managing two physically demanding careers, such as being a dancer and being a massage therapist, can have adverse effects. You might get exhausted by the end of the day. Hence, if you are not an individual with high energy or proper bodily functioning, it is not a promising career.
- Instability in earning
If you are a freelancer or have your clinic, there are higher chances of unstable income. Even in a job setting, once a client is free of pain, they might stop being your source of income. The scariest thing is that all these factors are beyond your control. You cannot control whether a client will be in pain and come to you.
All you can do is to give your best services and advertise yourself more. You can also keep good relations with your family, friends, and colleagues who might recommend you. However, it is not the case in corporate jobs,s and hence being a massage therapist is not something you can entirely rely on. You might need a lot of contacts and might need to work in different settings simultaneously. Or else, you can choose to be a massage therapy as a side career.
- Investment in your body
As we read in the earlier point, it is essential to take care of your own body. You need to invest time, money, and energy in taking care of your body. In addition, you need to exercise regularly and overcome the temptation of consuming those extra carbohydrates.
If you suffer from a significant bodily injury, you need to get it treated first, and only then will you be able to continue with your job. You cannot afford to take risks with your body. You also need to take adequate rest, a healthy diet, and enough sleep so that you can give the best of your services to your clients. Thus, such investment in your body is very demanding, and you need to be committed to a healthy lifestyle full of self-discipline.
- Awkward settings
There are chances that you might feel awkward with your client lying half-naked with a white towel. Therefore, you might take some time to be comfortable with such a setting. However, suppose you get self-conscious and feel scared and nervous about seeing your client naked even after several times in the same situation. In that case, you can consult a mental health professional. A mental health professional can help you with your adjustment issues.
But even if it is not working for you after seeking mental health therapy, this career is not suitable. You can go ahead and choose the jobs that are made for you rather than wasting your time in them. However, this is the last option you have, as you cannot massage your clients’ clothes. Massage therapists use essential and medicinal oils for the pain to heal.
- High scope of sexual harassment
If you are freelancing or working in an unregistered institution, you are highly likely to be a helpless victim of sexual harassment. We don’t want you to be scared but alert and precautious. Since the client will be half-naked, and you will be touching them, and you both will be alone during the session; there is an increased probability of them making advances or you having inappropriate feelings for your client. And it is highly unprofessional, so you need to regularly introspect to avoid any kind of harm to your reputation.
You need to be prepared with self-defense techniques along with continuous alertness and awareness. It is preferably better to work in an institution where there are strict rules against sexual harassment. If you are freelancing, you need to explain the dos and don’ts before the clients. Thus, if you are looking for complete avoidance of sexual harassment, it is not a promising career for you.
Conclusion:-
Thus, these are the massage therapy career pros and cons. So, if you ask, is massage therapy a promising career, then the answer is both yes and no. It entirely depends on your thoughts, behavior, character, settings, country, and other considerable aspects. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
