Hello and welcome to the Massage Schools Guide Blog. If this is your first time reading the blog, I hope you will find answers to all those burning questions you have about becoming a massage therapist. If you have been following the blog you might notice there has been a little change.
MassageSchoolsGuide.com has done a tremendous job of providing a mountain of information for the prospective massage therapist. Whether you are looking for the right massage school or what it takes to become a therapist in your community, MassageSchoolsGuide.com can provide the answer. However, in order to educate and inform you even better, they have asked me, a licensed massage therapist and freelance writer, to join the team in order to share with you what being a massage therapist in the real world is all about.
My name is Gary and I have been a licensed massage therapist in Portland, Oregon for almost two years. My practice is focused on therapeutic massage – helping clients who have been injured get back to a normal life without pain and restrictions. Today I have a thriving practice that is booked as much as three weeks in advance.
These past two years working in the field and growing my practice have given me enough experience to know the ins-and-outs of the massage industry, yet I am not that far removed from the place you currently sit – meaning I vividly remember my quest for the perfect profession and the decision process I went through in deciding to go to massage school and try my hand at massage.
The choices necessary to become a therapist can seem daunting. For me, a 30-something business professional, it forced me to make a true leap of faith. I wasn’t just changing jobs, I was embarking on a career that was completely different from my normal 9-5 job at the office. Today I can say it was the best decision I have ever made, but it wouldn’t have been possible without hard work and a great education from a quality massage school.
Over the course of the next few weeks I will try to help you better understand what it means to be a massage therapist, the road to getting educated and licensed, and finally what it takes to be successful as a licensed massage therapist.
I know a lot about massage and the massage industry, but I am well aware that I don’t know everything. So I call on you to ask questions. We are all different and have our own approaches to life and work, and although I think I know how you are feeling right now, there may be questions that I never thought of when I went through the process of embarking on a career in massage. I will give you my two cents, but please feel free to give back. There are no dumb questions, and if you have a question it probably means many others have the same one.
If this is your first time to MassageSchoolsGuide.com, take the opportunity to look around and get familiar with all we have to offer. Read the blog and come back regularly to learn more about becoming a successful massage therapist. And again, please send in your comments and questions. My job is to help you in your quest to join the massage profession.
Becoming a massage therapist has impacted my life in a positive and dramatic fashion. Take the time to learn all you can, and keep reading this blog to learn more about this fantastic profession that can not only change your life, but the lives of those you touch.
Hi Gary ~ I am once again debating about leaving my career as an educator (for 20 years now) ~ I’ve always been able to envision myself with a private practice as a LMT ~ and I so want to help people (and myself at the same time) with the anxieties that we all are facing with the current economy. I have an appointment to meet this week at a school in CT and I am eager to begin the classes (especially since my job has been cut effective immediately) ~ I’ll know more about cost and timeframe after my appointment, but wondered if you could let me know roughly the overall cost and general timeframe from your experience ~ hoping to go to school full time.
Thank you, Laurie
Hi Laurie,
Costs and timeframes for schools can vary dramatically. I am doing a post on paying for school coming up, but just understand that it depends a lot of the school. Schools offer different programs, for instance a 500-hour certificate as opposed to an 800-hour program. Obviously the costs are going to be more for the 800-hour program. Most programs run about a year long.
Come back regularly and read the blog to get more answers to your questions.
Thanks for your comment and best of luck Laurie!
Hi Gary,
Your blog has been so helpful, the information is exactly what I have been searching to find out. I am just about to sign on with Massage Center in Thousand Oaks CA (do you know of this school ?).
I am 51 and finally looking and willing to do what I have for so long wanted to do. Needing a supplementry income has opened the doors once again to the possibilities. I’ve had a Cosmetology license but have only dabbled in the field over the years, but now with adding Massage Therapy I am thinking it could give me an edge.
My only concern after completion is being able to only work this part time in the evenings and weekends since I need to continue with my full time day employment that is unrelated.
Do you think it can be lucrative enough during these hours? I would like this to eventually be my main source of income. I can so visualize this happening. What do you think?
Thank you for your time.
Elizabeth