I'm seriously thinking of going to school to be a massage therapist. It's

[Curious]

something I've wanted to do for? a long time. I was wondering if anyone makes a living off this career. I was talking to some people around my area and they say they charge anywhere from $60 to $80 an hour, sometimes getting $40 tips if your really good. Can someone give me an idea of what they charge and how much they make a year so I can make a decision. I don't want to waste my time or money if it's not worth it. I think it would be great to set my own hours and I was thinking of doing 5 a day. If I charged $60 an hour and did 5 a day at 23 days in a month I come up with $6900.00 not including any tips. That is $82,800. To me that's good money, but than I hear people make only $30,000 a year and I make more than that now. HELP. I want out of this hell whole of a job.

 

[Sabeena]

A few people do make a good living off massage. It sounds much easier than it actually is. The hard part is building up a clientele, so you have to be very good at marketing. Plus the work isn't steady. Some months you're slammed, others you're twiddling your thumbs.

There are way too many therapists out there because school is quick, cheap and easy. So competition is fierce. For every hour you are paid to massage, you have to spend at least another hour in marketing, cleaning, laundry, and other non-paid duties. To make good money you have to be self-employed which means funding your own health insurance and retirement plans.

It's a hard, sweaty thing to do with your life. Every year almost 20% of all MTs leave the field due to injury, burnout, or other reasons. 90% of all MTs leave the field permanently within 5 years.

If you're great at business and marketing, you'll do OK. That' the #1 skill you need, not great massage skills. I'm not saying don't do it, but just consider the reality before making a decision.

Last year I brought home around your target after expenses. Was it worth it? I don't know...

 

[Gemini]

I think its possible to make a lot of money...BUT it will be hard. I think having 5 clients a day would be very hard. Not that many people would come in during the week...maybe thursday, friday and saturday. Also, don't forget you have to PAY taxes at the end of the year. So I think you should really think about it and do more research. Good luck!