cruise ship therapist

[Gymnasticsferlife.]

Ok, so my school will be offering a spa style class in winter of '08 it will cover most of the fluff modalities plus some heated stone and mud wraps (I think I heard mention of crainial sacral stuff, I dont know...) Now this opens up alot for a massage therapy and I got to thinking: what would it be like being a massage therapist on a cruise?

Does anyone know about this subject? what it pays, what are the hours, pros and cons.

 

[Arabella]

Hi Fey

I've never worked on a cruise ship myself, but over the years I've heard stories of people who had. While it sounds alluring, many of these MTs would advise you not to. The rooms are often teeny-tiny, the hours are long, there's little time to walk around when the ship lands in port, and the compensation is pretty paltry for the work you do. If you have nothing to lost and you want to build a great story to tell, or you want to gain a lot of experience really quick, getting your hands on as many bodies as you can in the shortest possible time, this is one way to do it. However, be careful, as you will be in international waters, where the laws are nil. Think of possibilities such as crime, being taken advaneforum.xxxe of by employers, or being able to re-enter the country. Sometimes nothing is sacred, especially out there. So, if you want to do this, at least do extensive research and talk to a lot of veterans out there who have. You probably won't have to look very hard to find someone who has done it for a year, but I've never heard of anyone signing on for a second year. Contracts can be 3/6/9/12 mos, I think. That doesn't seem long, but it is a heck of a commitment. Good luck!

Hugs,
~Jyoti

PS: Sorry if this sounds scatter-brained, I'm on my way to bed LOL.

 

[roger_in_oly]

Have a read of http://www.ucmt.com/grad-stories/Robert-Cheeke.htm (he's gone onto veganbodybuilding.com so no more cruises) gives a good idea of working in a spa on a ship - 9 massages a day, 12 hr days, etc etc

Other threads...
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8599
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1340
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1449
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2814
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1092

 

[Henry H]

Sounds like Steiner combines high volume massage, with high volumne sales. : So if you enjoy working in a boiler room high pressure environment with cranking out ten massages a day then Steiner is for you.


Is working for Steiner kind of like being in the Military, once you sign the contract you can't get out?

Jason

 

[Another Censored Enigma]

the long hours thing doesnt really bug me, I work at a gas station 5-6 days a week.
Alot of the peoples experience on the ship said they liked it even though it was hard work, which Im ok with too, I really want to build up my skill and resume before striking out on my own.
Plus the 3-9 month on a ship is great for me ^_^

 

[gina c]

Lord in heaven, that's a young person's game! I need a lie-down just from reading that story.

Still, if you really want to pressure-cook your skills and learn how to sell retail (not a bad idea because most spas need you to sell, and even on your own you'll benefit from retail lines), shipboard work will give you those tools. Just be careful not to blow out your body.

 

[Yellowdog]

Is working for Steiner kind of like being in the Military, once you sign the contract you can't get out?

I think it is more like,

Steiner is like the rest of the world, once you sign a contract both parties are expected to abide by the terms. And if you don't people consider you unethical and will be reluctant to do business with you - pro sports and hollywood somewhat excluded

Try signing a two year lease, then get out of it after 6 months, then try to get a lease somewhere else. Won't go so smoothly. Car, apartment, office, does not matter.

 

[Jamie]

Lord in heaven, that's a young person's game! I need a lie-down just from reading that story.

Still, if you really want to pressure-cook your skills and learn how to sell retail (not a bad idea because most spas need you to sell, and even on your own you'll benefit from retail lines), shipboard work will give you those tools. Just be careful not to blow out your body.

Whoa, sell retail, I didnt consider that being a skill I would learn. Honestly Ive worked in retail for so long I could sell someone two of something they dont need on a bad day (thats a lie)
The pressure cooking sounds like a lot of hard work and the idea of doing 7-12 massages back-to-back sounds unapealing, my teacher worked in japan for a year as a body worker doing the same thing and I think she she would not want to work that hard again.

Honestly, Ive read the article of the person who liked the job and the person who didnt. Both their stories matched up in what happened but from the perseption of the person who didnt like the job seamed to have been complaining about how hard the work is while the person who did like the job just found it challenging.

And my opinion? a twelve hour day with a day and a half off a week sounds like a god send considering that I have 16 hour days with occationially a full day off with work and school.

 

[Katy]

And my opinion? a twelve hour day with a day and a half off a week sounds like a god send considering that I have 16 hour days with occationially a full day off with work and school.

I think it's great that you can see this as an opportunity you would enjoy. In preparation, though, I suggest you train for those long massage days, the same way athletes train for marathons. 7-12 massages per day is completely different than a long day doing any other kind of work. If your body's not used to it, injuries can happen. What's the highest number of massages you have done in a day so far?

 

[bullsfootball]

Ive worked for about three hours straight, but to be honest I think I can do more.
At least while Im young ^_^

 

[DeeeeJay]

Opening up this thread again!

Hello all!

I am new to this forum but not new to CMT work. I was certified by a fly by night school in California, only to find out that the hours they trained for were not enough to operate ANYWHERE else in the country! sigh..

I am planning on going back to school and was thinking of going to one of the Stiener (Spelling) Schools here in Florida.

I was also thinking of doing the Cruise ship thing.

My question then is this... since this is a fairly old thread.. I was wondering if anyone else on here has done this, recently, and if so, if you could please share your experiences with me/us. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.. even if it isn't massage related.. as in.. were you able to get off the ship on a semi regular basis and actually see the world/ports you stopped in?!

Thank you in advance...

PS: One more thing.. I am a 43 year old man and I think I could do the heavy work load.. but dang.. might be just sleeping the one day off that I would get.. IF that is still the way they work things. sigh! lol