Many students or recent graduates of massage school may find themselves intimidated by the prospect of opening their own business even if that is their real dream. Of course, there is always the option of putting in some time as an employee in someone else’s business to gain experience before embarking on their own entrepreneurial adventure.
But some massage therapists just have that taste for forging ahead on their own. It can still be an overwhelming and risky prospect, especially if the goal is to create an entire spa environment with massage as one of the primary services.
I was looking online for resources for massage business owners and came across a few that I spent some time with. One was Spa Marketing Tools, a website that offers a training program and coaching package for salon owners. Another was Help Your Practice, a website that presents marketing tips and client generation techniques specifically targeted and massage business owners.
What really struck me about these sites was the selling technique the sites themselves use to present their programs. Both use the standard online marketing approach of a presenting a very long sales letter with big, bold call-outs that make enticing statements about the opportunity to build success with expertise and secrets provided by the author.
Search for “make money online” or “online marketing” and you will find hundreds of websites that look almost exactly like these massage marketing sites. They are loaded with testimonials and the more you read the more exciting the offer sounds. By the end of the Spa Marketing Tools you are half-convinced to drop the $4450 asking price for the course!
Frankly, I have no idea what the value of these online programs really is. They may be great and well worth the investment. All I know is that an approach like these is essentially the internet “used-car salesman pitch.” You may get a great deal but you are always left wondering whether someone just picked your pocket.
The best approach to starting a massage business is to:
- Learn to practice your trade. There is no substitute for building a reputation as an excellent massage therapist.
- Find a mentor. Someone that you can trust and who has built their own business will be a tremendous asset.
- Be prepared to be a businessperson first and a massage therapist second. If you can’t manage your business by following sound business principles and practices, it doesn’t make any difference how good you are as a massage therapist.
If you are a prospective massage therapist make sure that the massage school you select has a strong curriculum in business principles. Be good with your hands and smart with your head.
Apparently, we Americans take so many prescription medications that they are passing through our bodies and ending up in the water supply. Consequently, everything from antibiotics to sex hormones are floating around in America’s drinking water. This predicament has led one newspaper to suggest that we take a more eco-friendly approach to our health and “go green” with some forms of treatment.
Among the “green” treatments are acupuncture, chiropractic and, naturally, massage therapy. The theory is that if we seek alternative treatments for our health problems then we can avoid polluting the ground and water with tons of waste pharmaceuticals.
Massage as a green practice. Intriguing.
A lot of people have an interest in becoming massage therapists these days. Some want to earn a few bucks part-time while others want to make it a career. But this is the first time I have read about massage therapy being a sort of family trade.
David Jewell is part of a family with a heritage of massage therapy. David discusses his influences, his job activities and his massage school experience in this article from the South Bend Tribune.
There are many ailments and conditions that seem to respond well to massage therapy. Joint pain, muscle strain, specific injuries and general stress have all been found to respond well to massage as a treatment modality.
One of the more mysterious but increasingly pervasive conditions that seems to be responsive to massage therapy is fibromyalgia. This condition is characterized by chronic, widespread pain that is sensitive even to light touch. Since the disease, though little understood, primarily affects the neuromuscular system, the symptoms of pain and tenderness have been found to respond to massage therapy in many cases.
This is just one more condition for which massage therapy has been found to be a viable alternative for treatment. As the benefits of massage become more apparent to a mainstream audience. the opportunities for massage therapists expand. All the more reason to consider a full-time or supplementary career as a massage therapist and receiving training at an accredited massage school.
An apparently very bright woman named Amy is studying for her doctorate and working as an audiologist. In her blog, titled “Lakeshore Ladies,” Amy contemplates attending massage school so she can become a certified massage therapist. Her motivation is both financial and psychological. She would like the opportunity to supplement her income but thinks that practicing massage therapy would allow her some degree of satisfaction that she is not currently receiving in her current position.
It is intriguing to “eavesdrop” on someone’s rationale and decision-making process as they consider attending massage school. Read about it here.
Rob West is a part-time blogger and a full-time massage therapist. His blog, titled “Blogging for Billions,” is geared towards the pursuit of generating online revenues through blogging. But he has decided to embark on the construction of a social networking site for massage therapists. Rob says that he is interested in a platform that allows him to stay in touch with his fellow massage school grads and also to keep up with the latest developments in the industry.
He says that he will be commenting on his progress so you can keep up with the project by checking this section of his blog out. Good luck Rob!
An article published in FSView, an online version of the Florida State University newspaper, touts the therapeutic benefits of massage therapy beyond stress reduction. A number of athletes are quoted and the consensus is that massage helps with performance and reduces injuries.
The article states that the number of Americans receiving massage regularly is at 40% while the rest of the world is at 80%. While these numbers seem a bit overstated and there is no source presented for these statistics, it is obvious that the trend for massage therapy is up. And as the benefits of massage, especially for athletes, become more apparent, the demand for well-trained, highly qualified massage therapists will only increase.
This trend elevates the profile of massage beyond simple self-indulgence and pampering to mainstream health maintenance. Attending a reputable massage school with good instructors is more critical than ever. Do your research and make a good choice. The future is wide open.
We’ll be posting anything and everything of interest to those considering a career as a massage therapist. Everything from how to choose the right school for you to what you can expect once you become a licensed massage therapist.
Stay tuned for more!