Massage Career Information
Question:I am a high school girl and I am considering become a massage therapist. Can you please send me some information on it and let me know what education I would need. What skills are needed in this occupation, what are the work settings, the days, and working conditions?
Answer:
Great of you to inquire about massage therapy! The educational standards differ from state to state; to begin you should check with your local massage therapy association for educational requirements in your area. There are several links on the Massage Therapy 101 website for schools and other related topics.
Massage Therapists in general have to be pretty flexible and open minded when starting off their careers. Patience when starting out is also a necessity to have, as building a client base can at times be slow. Possessing good marketing skills and strategies can help increase your client base dramatically as can be needed the first year.
Some of the required skills for this type of career one might possess would be to be: highly motivated, determined, patient, and of course having good listening and communication skills.
Working conditions vary depending on the type of environment you wish to work in. Spa settings are usually more relaxation oriented treatments, while clinics, and rehabilitation centres can be more injury specific treatments. That is a choice you will want to investigate when starting out your career. Or perhaps, you may want to split your time between the two types of work environments to get a real sense of what you prefer, that is also possible.
The amount of time you want to be spending massaging will take some time to figure out, as you will develop more stamina as you increase your work load. Always keep in mind that you need to feel comfortable and not exhaust yourself. The burnout rate for a new Massage Therapist can be high, therefore, ease into your work and establish your maximum amount of treatments within the first 3-6 months of practicing.
For more information on salary and income potential please check out this website!
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