How To Become A Massage Therapist And Change Your Life!

If you enjoy to work with your hands, maybe you should be in a profession that does precisely that, such as massage therapy. In fact, the US Department of Labor has demonstrated in their latest report that there is demand for such professional people for the predictable future. If this sounds appealing to you, then you need know how to become a massage therapist.

Those who want to become massage therapists should enter in a program that is recognized by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork or NCBTMB. To become a licensed professional, you must finish at least five hundred hours of training including subjects such as ethics, anatomy and physiology among others.

If you happen to study massage therapy in a school that is not licensed by this body, you will not be allowed to take the national certification examination. This may keep you from practicing in states that ask this prior to employment, which is why you should check first to see if the school you plan to enroll in is in the program.

Should you somehow be able to get work without acquiring a license, you could be punished with fines and even be prohibited from ever practicing again.

The advantage of entering in a program under the NCBTMB is that you can apply for federal financial aid if you don’t have the monetary funds to pay for your training.

But the main thing you will wish to know is, just how much does a massage therapists get? Well recent research has showed that the average wage is $45,611. This research also shows that half of those people working, earn between $36,930 and $55,920, this varies due to experience. If you have just completed your schooling, you will probably only have one or two customers a day, while more experienced therapists will have five or more.

If you are serious about engaging this as a career, ask yourself some questions. Are you patient? Are you customer oriented? Do you really want to help the patient? If your response to all three questions is yes then the next thing you have to do is check what specific interests do you have.

Just like medicine, massage therapy has several specialties and these include sports massage, clinical massage and Swedish massage this is but to name a few. While you will hopefully learn all of these in your schooling, you should try to get a clear idea of which one you wish to specialize in after your graduation.

It is a great idea to visit massage parlors and speak to those who are already working there. You could also do some research online as there are articles that have been published and plenty of internet sites about the profession.

Once you get your degree and your license, you then have the option of working for someone or opening up your own business. To open your own business you will need to have the capital already, since you will want to buy your own massage table, chairs, pillows, sheets and lotions. But if you would prefer to get experience first, then go find a job and learn the tricks of the trade before you set up shop.

The ball is in your court now that you know how to become a massage therapist. The right mental attitude will get you through your training, because with that you will be able to understand the techniques and become an expert in your field.