Briefly describe your job.
I am a massage therapist who focuses on clinical and medical massage. Not all massage is spa or relaxation based; I work a lot with people recovering from injuries or surgeries. I treat athletes to help them perform at their peak. I am also a Certified Nurturing the Mother ® Pregnancy Massage Therapist.

How long have you been working in this field?
I have been a therapist for seven years. I have worked in spas, in occupational therapy clinics, in health clubs, and in massage clinics.

When and how did you decide to choose this career?
My older sister is a veterinarian, and I thought some of the things she learned - how the body worked, how life functioned- were fascinating. However, I was not enamored at the amount of time she had to spend in school. I looked at several programs for physical therapy, holistic medicine, and other therapies. I eventually decided that I really liked the hands-on aspect of the physical therapies like PT, OT, and massage. However, it wasn’t until someone told me that “physical therapy and massage is the same thing” that I realized I really liked massage and didn’t want to go into one of the other fields.

What education/training did you obtain to qualify you for your field?
I went to school at ICT (International Complimentary Therapy) Kikkawa College in Toronto. They are more accepting of alternative therapies in Canada, so their training is much more advanced. Massage therapy falls under the same umbrella laws governing MD’s, PT’s, chiropractors, etc. At the time that I graduated, they were also covered by the Canadian national health care – that is, a certain number of sessions per year were covered if you needed rehabilitation. This leads to a much longer program than was offered in the States. For instance, North Carolina requires a minimum of 500 hours of training for licensure. Even the states that require the highest levels of training are around 1200 hours. My training was 2200 hours- essentially two years of a trade college. Since then I have also taken Continuing Education Classes required to keep both my State and National License.

What was your first job in the field?
I worked two jobs when I first graduated, which is not uncommon in the massage field. Since you need to build a clientele, most therapists work at two locations to build in different areas of interest. My first jobs were at a spa that I had worked in previously and at an Occupational Therapy clinic with an upper limb injury focus.

Describe a typical day on the job?
A typical day can vary widely. Because sessions are scheduled around your clients, if you work in a small place or on your own, you may have one session or you may have five. If you work in a large spa that handles marketing and scheduling for you, it’s much easier to pick a consistent schedule. However, you will always have the occasional “no show” and the occasional last minute client. If you (or your employer) are consistent about enforcing a cancellation policy, they are infrequent, but people always forget.

What works best for me is to show up 20-30 minutes before my first session to check my space, start laundry, pull files, and do some general office work. I prefer to book 30 minutes between the end of one session and the beginning of the next to allow for tardiness, long intake, and a break for me. I plan to be there 30 minutes or so after my last session to finish notes, flip the laundry, clean, and prep for the next day. A ‘full time’ therapist generally does 18-25 sessions a week, but fills up another 10-15 hours with general administrative work. Again, it varies based on the environment you work in, but for me it has always been that more freedom brings more responsibility.

What do you like most about what you do?
I really enjoy being able to help people feel better. Sometimes it’s a brand new injury, and I can calm spasms so they can function. Sometimes it’s an old injury, and they are constantly in pain. It’s an amazing feeling when someone gets off the table and says “I haven’t felt this good in years.” It’s a lot of fun to help people learn about their own bodies: it astonishes me how many people say “I didn’t even realize I was tight there until you started working”.

What do you like least about your job?
I have, in the past, worked for people who did not understand the difference between an employee and an independent contractor. Nine times out of ten, you will be an independent contractor. It’s better for a business if you ARE an independent contractor, because they don’t have to pay FICA, taxes, unemployment insurance, etc. However, they may still treat you like an employee, which simply drives me insane. If I have to wear your uniform, work the schedule you set, handle problems your way, and generally be in business for you, not me, I am an employee. I have no problem with being an employee, but there are huge differences in how I should be treated- and how I should be paid. Make sure it is clear from the outset which category you fall into, because once you sign the contract, you’ve agreed to their terms.

What has been the most rewarding experience so far in your career?
I have had the opportunity to work occasionally with professional athletes from several different sports. I really enjoy working with them because they know their bodies so well and are very appreciative of what massage can do that they may not get from their regular trainers.

What is the biggest challenge for you in this job? I am not a big public speaker, but because I have to sell myself, rather than a product or a company, it is very important that I get out and talk to people. My mentor has gotten me involved in several networking groups, which has been great for me. Most of the time I am only talking to 5 or 6 people at a time, and I am talking about something that I am passionate about. It has gotten easier over the past year and a half to do it, and I am starting to talk to bigger groups. It’s still hard, but I feel like I am improving every time I stand up.

What are the most important personal and professional skills necessary to succeed in your field?
Massage is definitely a field you need to passionate about to succeed in. It is a lot of work, physically and mentally, and unless you are phenomenally lucky, it is years before you get a really stable clientele. If you aren’t truly determined to succeed in it, it can wear you out. Organization is something that is far more important than I realized it would be: keeping track of appointments, client files, advertising, networking, who you have met and where, are so much easier if you just stay on top of them from the beginning.

What could someone do to learn more about this field right now?
Check out the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork at ncbtmb.org. Many states now require National Certification to get a State License. I highly recommend National Certification even if you don’t need it, because it is something that can give you a competitive marketing edge over those who aren’t certified.

Also search to see if your state has a license, or if it is regulated by county or city. Almost all states require licensing now, but what level of training is needed still varies widely. In states that just recently gained licensing, not all of the schools comply with their standards, so make sure you check that, too.

What advice you would offer to students making a career choice or on work life itself?
The best thing you can do is find something you are passionate about doing. If you love what you do, it is so much easier to get up and go every morning. Your passion also conveys itself to potential employers, customers, and co workers. When they know you love it, they will believe in you, and you will be more successful.

Becca Bazzle, Massage Therapist, LMBT Essential Therapy Charlotte NC 704-806-8380

www.EssentialTherapyNC.com

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