By Gary Eaton LMT
One of the great things about a career in massage therapy is the flexibility. If you aren’t a morning person (like me) you can choose to start work at 10am, or noon, or even later.
Another great advantage of this flexibility is the opportunity to work just about anywhere in the world. When I was in massage school I had several classmates that were determined to start their careers working on cruise ships. This wasn’t an option for me personally, mostly because I have children and I didn’t like the idea of being away from them for long periods of time. Had I been younger, single and more interested in relaxation massage, I may have jumped at the chance to work on a cruise ship.
However, before you get too excited about the prospect of traveling the world for free giving massage to cruise ship passengers, it is important to understand the reality of this kind of work.
Cruise ship massage can be a great opportunity to see the world, but it won’t be like actually taking a cruise and seeing the sites. You won’t have a lot of time to see the sites when you hit different ports because you will actually be working during a lot of the stops. On top of that, the pay is lower than average and the lifestyle won’t be quite as posh as you might think.
For starters, if you sign on with a cruise line you will be away from home for an extended period of time. Contracts vary by cruise line, but you can expect to be on board for 6-8 months. You will spend the entire time on the ship with no breaks to go home.
As for living on the ship, massage therapists live amongst the rest of the cruise ship crew. Living arrangements are dorm style, usually cramped quarters near the bottom of the ship, out of sight of the passengers. And don’t expect to be enjoying the amazing buffets they serve to guests. The food reserved for workers is not nearly as good as guests receive.
As for the work, like I said, the pay is much less. Again this varies, but you won’t get rich performing cruise ship massage. Of course, you don’t have any living expenses either, which helps. Tips will be the make-or-break for this career choice, and those will vary widely.
The hours can also be very long on cruise ships. You may be expected to work as much as 10-12 hours a day. This can be very physically and mentally demanding, and burnout is not uncommon for some cruise ship massage therapists.
As for seeing the world, yes, you will have the opportunity to stop in ports around the globe, but you won’t really have much of an opportunity to see the sights. Again, cruise ship policies vary, but most of the time you won’t be allowed to leave the ship, and when you can it will be for very short periods of time.
I had a friend work a cruise line in the Mexican Riviera. He enjoyed his time, but was very disappointed in that he rarely got to get off the ship and explore. He did come back with a fabulous tan though!
Despite some of the obvious disadvantages, there are some advantages to this kind of work.
First, you will be performing a lot of massage. For a new therapist this is a great way to build experience and confidence. You will also be living and working with other therapist and many will become lifelong friends. And since you don’t have living expenses it is a great way to save some money to start your own practice back home or just to pay off your massage school loans or other bills.
Cruise ship massage is not for everyone. You must be able to handle living in a small space and working long hours for six or more months. But if you have an adventurous spirit, the freedom to get away from your everyday life, and the desire and fortitude to work hard, you will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and see parts of the world that you otherwise would never see.
If cruise ship massage is something you are interested in, make sure to do your own research while in massage school. There are many websites that promote cruise ship massage jobs, so check them out understand the industry so you aren’t jumping blindly into something that might not be the right massage job for you.
Gary Eaton is a licensed massage therapist and writer living and working in Portland, Oregon. He manages a thriving therapeutic massage practice and is a featured writer for Massage Schools Guide.
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