From Home Businesses

If you are considering entering the healthcare field as a professional massage therapist, you have probably heard that massage as an industry is projected to grow in the coming years.  That’s good news, and you may have also heard that it is possible to make a comfortable living in this line of work.

Just how much can you expect to make?  While the average annual salary of a massage therapist is about $29,000, there is a wide range in a field where many are self-employed and employment options are wide and varied.  A working mom (or Dad) doing massage part-time and taking care of the kids the rest of the time is looking to make an average of about $60 per hour of work if self employed and somewhere around $40 if working for someone else.

Of course, one’s income depends on the work one puts in if self-employed, and there are therapists who make six figures annually doing this work.  To get a better idea of how much you would realistically be making, you have to take into account your own abilities and work ethic.  How many clients are you able to massage in the course of a day?  How many days a week?  If you are physically and mentally able to work a 40 hour workweek, you stand to do well.  If you value free time more than money, you will obviously make less money.  It’s basically all up to the therapist how much he or she wants to make.

Of course, simply giving massages won’t allow you to make a living in most cases- successful massage therapists almost invariably have to market themselves to build up a regular clientele.  This means getting your name out there, doing outstanding work, and being a true professional in the sense of being on time, consistent, and organized.  You will also need to deal with the mundane aspects of the business such as renting a clinic or working from home, organizing your business, and procuring massage equipment, among other considerations.

More so than many other fields at the moment, massage is an opportunity to put your skills and talents to good use and also derive financial benefit from it.