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Job Title: Massage Therapist
Type of Company: I work with young professionals through old age. My goal is to assist clients in developing personal body awareness through therapeutic touch.
Education: BA in Anthropology and Dance, Certificate in Massage Therapy
Previous Experience: I've danced and performed my whole life and this has led me to studying the body, injury, and functional anatomy.
Job Tasks: I see about 3-6 clients a day in my small office in Cambridge, MA. I have a web site and this is often how people find me. Over the last 4 years however, my practice has expanded mainly through word of mouth. This means that one person discussed their session with another and then refers that interested person to me. This is quite satisfying because I have to do very little to obtain more clients.
In a session I will help people identify where their pain is, where it might be originating from, stretch with them, and then use general and specific hands-on techniques to work with the discomfort.
At the end of a session clients often are relaxed and eager to rest further. Some are also ready to go run or train for marathons! Massage seems helps them to restore fatigued muscle tissue.
At the end of the hour or 90 minute session some clients will rebook with me for the following week or two weeks. There are also some clients who call only when they are in pain. I suggest to clients that they see massage as preventative as well as curative, perhaps catching pain and compensation patterns before they lead to muscle spasms or injury.
Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of my job is simply getting to interact with others in a relaxing manner. At the end of a session I get to see the effects of my work and am usually compensated immediately.
The most challenging part of the job is needing to always show up. If I am sick, I have to call, cancel, and reschedule with my clients. In order to be able to show up for clients, I need to actually take care of myself very regularly. I need to eat well, sleep, and exercise so my body is ready to heal others.
Job Tips:
1. Take care of yourself first
2. Pick a population you would like to focus on helping.
3. Get a lot of massage yourself so you know what actually works and feels good.
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