Most of us went into the field of massage because we wanted to help people.
Maybe we already were giving out shoulder rubs on everyone we could get our hands-on. Perhaps we just knew that we weren’t meant to be a counselor (ahem, Mary-Claire here, speaking from experience).
But we had the heart to serve, to help others, to make them leave our offices happier than they were when they came in.
Into massage school we ran, eager to have the license to practice.
Did they tell you that the average career span of a massage therapist is 3-5 years (or 5-7 years, depending on the source)?
Or did you find out later?
Why do you think that is?
While there are a number of factors in play, one of the big reason is injury, pain, and burnout.
Simply stated, we work to our detriment.
What does that mean, exactly?
Most of us do/did our best to provide the massage experience that the legit client wanted.
More pressure? Sure!
Deeper in that spot! No problem.
Can you hang out here for a while? My pleasure.
In the meantime, our backs started to act up. Or maybe we discovered a little tendonitis or tenosynovitis.
We start cracking our knuckles a little more, pounding on our forearms while we sit at a traffic stop, gripping the steering wheel so we can have the added stretch of a bent wrist.
I have a client who was a massage therapist for many years, longer than I have been (and it’s 22+ years for me).
While she had learned barefoot massage years ago, she never got really comfortable with it, was clunky, and the clients didn’t love it.
So she continued to do what she’d been doing-providing her clients with awesome deep tissue massage via her hands.
Until she couldn’t.
She couldn’t push past the pain anymore. Actually, she had to see a doctor because she couldn’t grip things anymore and was starting to drop the items she held in her hands.
Permanent damage, friends.
Permanent damage was caused by overworking herself to make her clients happy.
This is preventable.
If you’re going to offer deep tissue massage as a career, please get good at barefoot massage.
And it’s not going to happen if you take an online class. It may not happen if you only take 1 live class.
You may need to retake your 1st class (especially if it takes a while to get the bars up).
And you will certainly be better with each continuing ed class you take.
Is there anything preventing you from a long lasting deep tissue massage career?
The ball’s in your court.
Interested in learning more about barefoot massage?
Visit us at www.barefootmassagecenter.com
We have tons of Tip and Tricks on YouTube!
And check out our Facebook page
Don’t forget Instagram!
Mary-Claire Fredette has been licensed as a massage therapist in Ohio since the last century.
Seriously.
She learned barefoot massage in 2002 and hasn’t looked back, beginning teaching in 2004.
You can find her classes in her natural light studio in Cincinnati.
She co-founded the Center for Barefoot Massage with husband Paul and the barefoot massage idea-preneur Jeni Spring in 2017.