Questions about becoming a massage therapist

[MillieNZ]

I'm a Hawaii & California licensed massage therapist and have national certification in massage and bodyworks as well.

Make sure that if you what ever state you plan to work in, the school/college that you go to does enough hours for that state licensing requirement. I 'think' NY requires 1000 hours of tuition ! It's difficult to know what sort of massage style you prefer until you start doing it, once you find your 'niche' be prepared to take extra courses outside of school to really cover the area well.

I'm so not a spa MT !! But had studied Sports massage in New Zealand before going to Hawaii and school. I also apprenticed at a sports massage clinic. I also learn Thai massage as well, as someone mentioned earlier, to prolong the life as a MT, I needed to know how to use other parts of the body so that I didn't wear out my hands, thumbs and wrists ! Learning the techniques that Irulan's massage therapist uses will set you apart from the 'other' massage therapist if you want to go into sports.

Research the area that you will be working in for conditions and pay.... a lot of places only pay you for the massages you do, not that time in between. And the pay can be low and made up with tips. Unless you are super fit, don't expect to be able to massage 40 hours per week. I can do 15-20 hours tops (again to prolong my 'mt life' as I do a lot of deep work). If you can establish a good client base then working at peoples homes/office is a great way to earn ALL the money . It takes time to get a good client base and you'll be competing against other established people, but once you are there it's a great life with reasonable pay..... and you can trade massages with people

I like that I can combine massaging with my old career.....

Enjoy !