Massage Therapy Career Options

Why get a job instead of starting your own practice?

There are so many massage therapy career options. Why would you want to get a massage job when you graduate massage school and not start your own practice right away? For many people, starting their own practice right out of school is the right thing to do. Other people feel like they are not ready, and want to get more experience first. It really depends on what you are comfortable with.

Ultimately, I think every massage therapist should have his or her own practice. You are paid more and you are more in control of your own destiny. There are some people though that really like working for others, and this is fine. There are also advantages to getting a job before you start your own practice.

Here are some reasons why you might want to get a job before starting your practice:

"  Gain more experience. You work for someone else, you will gain more experience and exposure working with different body types, conditions, problems, and situations. By the time I started my full-time practice, I encountered every massage situation imaginable.

"  Additional income. Brings you cash while you build your practice.

"  Get more practice and become a better therapist . There is only one way to become a truly great massage therapist and that is by doing a lot of massages.

"  Mistakes. Some massage therapists make mistakes at the beginning of their careers. I have seen therapists not properly manicure their hands and accidentally scratch clients. I worked with one therapist who accidentally burned a client in hot stone massage, and one who made a comment to a client that he thought was innocent, but the client took it as sexually inappropriate. By gaining more experience, you will be less likely to make similar mistakes when you start your own practice.

"  Gain more confidence. The more people you massage, the better you will become, and the more your confidence will go up. This will lead you to have a better, more successful practice, if you choose to eventually start your own practice.

"  Gain more business skills . Working in someone else's business will help you to gain more business skills and knowledge that will help you to have a more successful practice. I learned so much from my first job and I feel that that experience as just as valuable to my success and going to massage school.

"  Experience dealing with inappropriate clients . This is an inevitable part of the massage world unfortunately. It is better to get experience dealing with this in a safe environment with other people around and with other people's clients rather than your own.

How to Get a Great Job by the Ex-Hiring Manager of a Top Day Spa - Learn everything you always wanted to know about getting a great massage job.

Massage Marketing Secrets for Massage Therapists - Learn massage marketing tips to create the practice of your dreams.