Working as a Massage Therapist

Whether you have received a certificate for a massage at your favorite spa as a gift, or were rewarded one from your partner after beating him or her in Scrabble, you are familiar with receiving (and possibly giving) a massage. In these cases, people find the massages useful as a method of pleasure and relaxation.

What many people fail to realize, however, is that massages can also have very real medical benefits. With that in mind, massage therapists can play a vital role in a patient's recovery from a variety of different issues.

What they do:

According to the American Medical Association, massage has been defined by leading professional associations as "systems of structured palpation or movement of the soft tissue of the body, including holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body." As such, massage therapy is the practice of using these systems to influence the soft-tissue muscles of the body, with the goal being to have a positive impact on a patient's health and well-being. Clients often seek massage therapy as a means of treatment, knowing that, in addition to the medical benefits it can provide, it can also be received as an enjoyable and relaxing experience.

Reasons for massage therapy include reducing stress, rehabilitating sports injuries, decompressing tired and overworked muscles and treating painful ailments. Other potential benefits of massage are reduced heart rate, increased blood circulation, lowered blood pressure and improved range of motion. Overall, it promotes general health and enhances functioning of the immune system.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapists can specialize in more than 80 different types of massage, which are called modalities. Swedish massage, deep-tissue massage, reflexology, trigger point, Shiatsu-acupressure, sports massage, and neuromuscular massage are some of the most common forms of massage, though they comprise just a few of the many potential approaches.

A large percentage of massage therapists work part-time, though some have full-time hours. In the same notion, some massage therapists are self-employed and work privately, while others work publicly. Massage therapists can work in a number of different settings, including fitness centers, sports medicine facilities, airports, shopping malls, hospitals, studios, nursing homes and private offices.

What they need:

The requirements for one to enter the profession of massage therapy vary greatly from state to state, and even locally from district to district. Still, most states require that one complete a minimum of 500 hours in class at a recognized massage school, though in some states, as many as 1,000 hours are needed.

According to the Bureau of Labor Services, there were 42 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that had laws regulating massage therapy, as of 2009. Some of these states require that massage therapists be licensed, while others simply have basic standards that must be passed.

What they earn:

The average salary for a massage therapist is $32,342, according to CBsalary.com. The 25^th and 75^th percentiles of salaries fall between $21,478 and $40,009, respectively.