Massage Therapists
What Massage Therapists Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 41.9%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.6/5
- Biologyimportance 3.3/5
- English Languageimportance 3.3/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.3/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.1/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 3.0/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.0/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.7/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.6/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.3/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Acupuncturists95% skill match
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School94% skill match
- Nurse Midwives93% skill match
- Physician Assistants93% skill match
- Political Scientists93% skill match
- Special Education Teachers, Preschool92% skill match
- Tax Preparers92% skill match
- Interpreters and Translators92% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.4/5
- Instructingimportance 2.3/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 2.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Manager
- ICS Software SammyUSA
- Land Software Customer Pro-File
- Massage Suite
- Scheduling software
- WinCity Custom Software WinCity Massage SOAP Notes
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Sincerity
- Social Orientation
- Optimism
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- RealisticMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- ConventionalLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where massage therapists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Kahului-Wailuku, HI7.07× national avg
- 2Napa, CA5.11× national avg
- 3Anchorage, AK3.82× national avg
- 4Fort Collins-Loveland, CO3.63× national avg
- 5Boulder, CO3.40× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- AcupuncturistsCareer Change
- Physician AssistantsCareer Change
- Nurse MidwivesCareer Change
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services, Other
- National Holistic Institute (Emeryville, CA)grads earn ~$31,777
- Dayton School of Medical Massage (Dayton, OH)grads earn ~$28,020
- NUC University (Bayamon, PR)grads earn ~$20,709
- Praxis Institute (Miami, FL)grads earn ~$27,609
- Healing Hands School of Holistic Health (Escondido, CA)grads earn ~$32,354