Massage Therapists
Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
- Median pay
- $58,450
- Doing it now
- 155,400
- By 2035
- Up 15.3%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary nondegree award
a year
across the country
20,400 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
- Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
- Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
- Maintain treatment records.
- Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
- Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
- Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic ServicesSee 1 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Hands-on and practical
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $58,450 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.