Lately I have been thinking about some of the paths that the massage profession has been taking and I wonder how it will all affect the future of the massage profession.
One of the trends that I see is more high school students asking about a career in massage. They usually come asking questions like ‘Do I have to take math?’ or ‘What classes do I have to take in high school?” Most are looking for jobs not careers. I have always found jobs to be an interesting topic of discussion. Psychologists like James Hollis talk about how Jobs are really just a continuation of the dysfunctional family with a boss who never seems to get it to employees who just want their paycheck and want to get out of there. He talks about how people look for jobs to fill needs of security and other needs for love and nurturing. We project our early childhood needs onto jobs. Massage jobs are becoming more available with the opening of many massage franchises where they hire massage therapists at $15 an hour and have very few if any benefits. The statistics from ABMP from a few years ago still say that the average age for massage therapists is 45 but I would bet that those numbers have changed since more massage jobs have opened up. But if that is true think about how massage schools are set up to teach older people with more life experience compared to teaching someone right out of high school. Is there a difference? I would think that there is but am not sure.
What happens during a massage session done from a massage therapist who is only being paid $15 an hour? Is it enough for them to be totally present with the client or are they just thinking about when will the session end so they can go to lunch? Is the quality of care being compromised?
What kind of massage do you get from someone who just wanted to get out of taking math classes in high school?
I have also heard many massage employees who are not just right out of high school say things like “I am not going to voice my concerns to management” out of fear of losing their jobs most likely. They just do as they are told and would rather not participate. When they don’t have clients they are usually paid minimum wage. When the business is slow they are cleaning the bathroom.
I know I came to the massage profession 20 years ago at about age 30 and there weren’t any jobs to be had really. Some chiropractors may have independent contractor positions but that was about it. I never even thought about a job. I started out in my own business right out of massage school and never looked back. I did have some background in customer service and had been involved in some marketing for companies I had previously worked for. Massage for me was always learning more about myself and learning to communicate with others. Massage for me was never a job- I always looked forward to going in to my office for the most part. I never really felt like it was ‘work’ – the kind of work where you always look forward to Fridays. I got to set my own schedule, do my own thing and choose the clients that I work with. I could take what classes I wanted and come and go as I pleased. I looked forward to every client and learning new ways to promote myself and learning new things about myself. I was always learning new techniques to try on my client to see if I could help them more. It has been more of a spiritual and personal growth career for me – never a job.
What are the people who take massage jobs at $15 an hour looking forward to? Getting a better job that pays $20 or $25 an hour? Or maybe not because they haven’t had math classes and don’t know the difference?
