The Best Way to Make Money as a Massage Therapist
As a massage therapist, John was totally burned out.
After successfully completing an education in a massage therapy school and six years working in the field, he still struggled to make ends meet.
Yeah, the money was great for a single man, but after marriage and three children his financial situation changed. Not only that, John didn’t just want to be a career massage therapist ― he wanted to have his own business too.
John had a real desire to push the limits of his vocation and crush it. So he decided to reach for the gold ring by starting his own business.
In this post, Wellington College is going to show you how you can make more money than you ever thought possible by starting your own massage therapy business.
No matter what type of business you start, its takes time, effort, and perseverance. However, if you read this post to the end you will see that massage therapists have an excellent opportunity to start and run their own successful businesses.
(Not only that, but we’ll show you that the job market and salaries for this profession aren’t too bad either.)
Is It Crazy to Go Into the Massage Therapy Business?
If you're going to enter into any business, you must first determine whether or not it will be profitable.
As you can see by the chart above, the median income in 2017 for massage therapists in Canada was $58,000 a year, or $30 per hour. In the United States it averaged about $45,000 a year.
Similar vocations like physical therapists, earned about $60,000 a year and medical assistants made close to $35,000. So you can easily see that massage therapists are right in the zone for earning decent money.
The job demand for massage therapists has been and will continue to be robust. Between 2009 to 2019, there was a healthy 19% increase in job demand for massage therapists in Canada. The U.S. projected a 26% increase by 2025.
One of the big reasons for the heavy demand is because of the opioid crisis. Massage Therapy Canada reports that there is a movement away from treating opioid abuse with pharmacy drugs and using alternative methods like massage therapy. There is also a similar movement away from using medical marijuana as well.
It’s pretty clear that massage therapy has a strong demand for these services and a growing demand in the future.
You Can Only Go so Far on BS in the Massage Therapy Business
The very first thing you must do to have a professional massage related business of any kind is to obtain a solid education. You can only fool people for so long before they figure out that you don’t know what you’re doing.
One of the top benefits of Wellington College’s Massage Therapy Diploma Program is its depth of knowledge and training. You’ll get 2 solid years of theoretical study and practical experience which comes to 2550 hours of training. Most schools in the U.S. and Canada only require a mere average of 560 hours of training.
As you know, the proof is in the pudding; 95% of Wellington’s graduates find work within 3 months of completing our program.
It’s imperative that anyone interested in a career in massage therapy complete a formal course of study.
Where the Real Money in Massage Therapy Is and How to Get It
Just like any other vocation, there is an excellent opportunity for an entrepreneurial minded massage therapist to make excellent money with their own business.
Starting a full blown massage therapy business can be a daunting task. For example, there’s rent for your shop, utility costs, advertising, signage, and other things that you’ll need just to get started.
The good news is you don’t need all of that to start your own massage therapy business. Many successful therapists have built businesses by starting small and expanding over time.
Rather than starting a bricks and mortar spa that would require serious capital, many successful massage therapists have become private contractors and freelancers.
Canada’s The Globe and Mail reports that there are 26,000 massage therapists in Canada and two-thirds of them are self-employed. Many of these practitioners are mobile and transport their equipment from client to client.
Other Reasons Why Your Should Start a Business in Massage Therapy
There are several other reasons why you may want to go solo and start your own professional massage therapy business:
No need to buy a lot of expensive equipment. This will vary depending on the type of services you offer. At the very least you’ll need a portable massage table and chair as well as linens, bolsters and massage mediums. You can buy this equipment used, and many times it’s in great shape because it was only used a few times.
Be your own boss. You won’t have to answer to anyone else and you’ll have greater flexibility with your life. However, with great freedom comes great responsibility; you’ll have a wide variety of tasks that you’ll have to perform, like keeping track of your taxes and finances and marketing the business.
Create your own schedule. You get to decide what hours and days you want to work. Personal days and holidays are yours to set whenever you need them, thus leading to a greater quality of life.
You can choose your own clients. That's right, you can work with clients that you enjoy and feel comfortable with.
Set your own rates. Choose your rates depending on your value, area of expertise and overhead.
How to Make Serious Money as a Massage Therapist
At the moment there isn’t a lot of massage therapy businesses that are taking advantage of online marketing. This is a huge opportunity for even new therapists and clinic owners to become visible, gain the trust of a whole community and grow their business.
Taking the time to learn how to do marketing well, create social profiles where you target market hangs out and getting visible through video content are crucial to growing your business in today’s market.
So, learning all you can about marketing your massage therapy services is extremely important. Massage therapists who understand what it takes to promote themselves will far exceed the incomes of those who don’t.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about a career in massage therapy, hopefully this post helped you with your decision to do so.
If you are interested, please call Wellington College today at (204) 957-2402 to speak with one of our admissions team. We'll be happy to give you the information you need to get started in the business of massage therapy.
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(204) 957-2402