Becoming a Massage Therapist:
Massage Therapy Students Share Their Journey and Advice
The decision to follow your passion and engage in work that is both meaningful and fulfilling is an exciting time. The journey of becoming a massage therapist is often an eye-opening experience, as students learn interesting skills and subjects that can benefit their clients and themselves personally, as well as provide an enjoyable and financially rewarding career. Students have different reasons for deciding to pursue a massage therapy career. For some, is was burnout from a previous career. For others, it is the desire to help improve the quality of life for others and relieve suffering. This post is a compilation of massage student and graduate essays about their journey of becoming a massage therapist. Many of these also include tips or advice that new massage students, or those considering a career in massage therapy will find helpful. Some of these massage students also discuss some of the challenges and obstacles that they faced, and how they overcame them.
Journey of becoming a massage therapist
First of all, I’d like to tell you that I didn’t always want to be a massage therapist. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with the human body, but I never quite knew exactly what I wanted to do for a career. I went from wanting to be a registered nurse to a cardiothoracic surgeon and everything in between. The tables really turned for me, however, when I went to Hawaii to study for a few semesters. Contrary to what you might expect, it wasn’t a beach-side massage that changed my mind, nor was it any sort of professional advice or course curriculum. Read more >>>
When I returned home to Bellingham, I started looking into training programs and was thrilled to learn that my alma mater, Whatcom Community College, offered a Massage Therapist certificate program! As I started the application process, it dawned on me that I hadn’t ever had a professional massage. Before continuing, I did some research and made an appointment for a one-hour hour session. The experience was life-changing. When I got off the table and went blinking back out into the sunshine, I felt as if I had been reborn. The mind-body connection and the energy I felt after the massage was powerful and restorative. At that moment, I knew my instincts were solid, and I was on the right path. Keep reading >>>
Some advice I would give to someone who is contemplating becoming a massage therapist is to do their homework. Research two or three schools in their area and compare what each one has to offer. Compare the cost to what the schools provide with the tuition fee. Questions to ask oneself is “how long do I want to be in school?”, and “what modalities do I want to learn and become certified in?”. If you are a person who truly cares for another person this is a great field to choose. Giving a massage to someone is the first phase of creating a business relationship with that client. The touch of a massage can begin to help a person feel better emotionally and physically. If you are working a full-time job determine how much time you can devote to your school attendance and your homework. Learn how to manage working at your current job, attending school, doing your homework and having time for your personal life. Learn more…
Massage therapy is about understanding yourself too
I want to provide holistic care for the person as a whole: mind, body, and spirit. Pursuing a greater level of understanding in holistic care is an essential step towards fulfilling my passion to become a massage therapist. I believe massage therapy is a passageway through the body to care for the mind and the spirit. The most interesting thing that I have learned in massage therapy school so far would be understanding how important it is to center and ground yourself as the massage therapist before giving a massage and how every person’s energy is not only different but how it can be emitted. I have found very quickly how important it is to center and ground yourself before giving a massage. Before clinic, my teacher guides us in a meditation to help with this. I believe that grounding and centering yourself as a massage therapist is one of the most essential aspects of providing a therapeutic massage. Visualizing feelings of comfort, trust, and care diffusing from you and passing this along to the client will allow you to provide a massage with intention. Keep reading…
Massage therapy school is something I’ve wanted to do for so long, and because of the previously mentioned medical mysteries, I haven’t been able to. For the first time in my adult life, health and timing have worked out. I even consider this education to be a part of my own personal wellness plan. Learning how our bodies work, how each part works in conjunction with other parts and are ultimately all connected. They are amazing things, our bodies. I have learned many different modalities, and they have all shown how these different forms of massage can have such an impact. How simply touching someone can bring comfort and joy. How I can melt a clients pain away by heating their fascia with my hands. How we are so literally electric! we are energetically charged, and can even be our own energy conductors. This is one of the many things that we have touched on in this school that I know I will be going further with beyond my graduation. See more…
I believe that people are innately fully equipped with every remedy to heal themselves. My role is simply to support them in doing so and help them ask the right questions. My focus with yoga and massage shifted from my guiding patrons to the optimal alignment to asking questions that guided them to feel for themselves. And with such questions we begin to listen. And when we listen, we are guided towards the answers and healing we seek. It was an arduous and difficult journey, but in the end I was rewarded with a skill of listening. My degree and professional experience is with teaching, and what better thing to teach than the things that we have learned; to listen to ourselves and others with compassion. And my belief with teaching is that I am not imparting knowledge to my students, but rather the opportunity for them to learn and experience for themselves so that it is an experiential, authentic, and meaningful process. My role is to guide them to ask the right questions. And as I merge my previous work experiences into my long-awaited massage therapy career, I am reminded to inspire others to listen, to love, and to realize that all these lemons are actually beautiful gifts that teach us to make lemonade and to sit back and drink each glass with gratitude. Read this post >>>
Massage training for personal and professional growth
So I went back to school and studied anatomy. The human body, and in particular, physical wellness, has become my passion. One of the few things we have control over in life is our own body. Exercise and self-care are, in particular, some of the best things we can do to promote lasting health, wellness, and overall longevity. In 2012 I began practicing yoga. Over the years I added on more physical activities like weight lifting, cycling, Pilates, dance, rock climbing, and acrobatics. The more I exercised and moved my body, the more connected I felt to it. And the more time I spent with it, the more I learned to love it, to care for it like it had cared for me over my many self-destructive years. Because of this awareness, I eventually narrowed my academic studies to the science of movement, earning certifications in yoga, Pilates, and dance.I also became very dedicated to my own personal growth. Continue reading…
Throughout my journey to become a massage therapist I have found consistent confirmation that this is the way I can serve my community most effectively and it is how I found most fulfillment. My natural skill of giving touch combined with my excellent massage therapy education brings much relief to my clients. Giving them relief and health brings joy to my spirit. I find myself in the flow state, a master of my craft, when I massage. I feel so thankful to be ready for this stage of my new career and to take the massage exam, especially because I ran into a pretty good-sized obstacle when I was 75% done with the massage therapy program at my college. What I thought might have the power to stop me from my completing massage school, ironically, gave me extra insight into the craft of massage. Read more…
Six years, six months and two days ago, my life changed course and I was jarringly reminded of the immense power of water. Three years, eight months and twelve days ago, I met the massage therapist who would definitively heal me, bringing me back to pain-free movement. My healing experience, which felt nearly miraculous, inspired me to follow the career path of massage therapy and joyfully reminded me of the immense power of touch. Four months, and sixteen days ago, I sat in class on day one of massage therapy school. As I listened to my classmates introduce themselves and explain what drew them to this career, I realized my experience and draw to this field is very similar to many others who have chosen this path. So many of us have experienced a debilitating injury, the despair that tends to set in as we struggle with pain and limitations, followed by the life-altering euphoria of returning to life without the torment of constantly hurting. We are here because we want to help make that kind of difference in people’s lives. This is my story: why I’m here and what I’ve found most interesting in my learning so far. Continue >>>
Awakening the healer within
As I grew up, my path diverged from the innate massage nature embedded in my persona. In 1986, I studied accounting and immigrated to the United States and my new life focused on the corporate world. I firsthand witnessed the daily, “normal” habits in my peers and myself for ten years: eight hours of sitting a day, limited routine movements and exercise, constant stress and anxiety, and the effective mental and physical health issues that would arise from these behaviors. These habits directly contradicted my childhood in which my family collectively took proactive measures to focus on our physical and mental health through massage, reiki, and yoga. I had an epiphany. I decided I would incorporate massage into my life. Through massage, I tried to change the lives of my community with free massages. It became the essence of my being, happiness, and lifestyle. Read more…
My path to massage therapy was far from clear and direct. I envy people that grow up knowing exactly what to do with their lives, so deeply in touch with their inner truth that their life’s purpose beams like a lightbulb on top of their head. However, I have no regrets for my journey, as gritty and dirty and hard as it’s been. My awakening to this healing work was like a slow and beautiful sunrise. Early on, while I still trudged through an unfulfilling corporate job, things seemed dark and hopeless. I struggled to pay back college loans, afford rent, live up to some unrealistic lifestyle with material things and fake a smile in a joyless career. This seemed to bleed over into every aspect of my life including relationships with friends and family and mostly, myself. Keep reading…
Being a student as an older adult is refreshing. I’m learning the subject matter with the intention of understanding, comprehension and retention instead of just memorizing content to pass a test. My instructors are knowledgeable and passionate about this field and my part in it. My classmates are similar in age to me and have kids themselves. And, while it’s pretty early in our training, there’s already an obvious cohesiveness and feeling of support for each other within the group. We’re all taking a risk and starting over in a career we’re confident we’re going to love going to everyday. As a student of massage therapy, with a vast background in biomechanics, physiology and kinesiology, I’m excited for the prospect of helping my future clients to alleviate their symptoms and to slowly educate them on their path to optimal health. Read more…
Being a massage therapist offers fulfillment and contribution
From day one of graduating high school, I was interested in massage therapy after my cousin and I took a class in massage early in High School at our local Community College Adult Education. I enjoyed it so much that I started to give neck and foot massages to friends and family. When my Mom’s side of the family had gatherings, they always wanted foot massages. They still ask for foot massages today! After deciding to start learning massage therapy, my family and friends have been excited for me and are looking forward to supporting me in reaching my goal. Keep reading…
I am a woman transitioning from raising a family to discovering what my passion is and pursuing it. I have enjoyed this first half of my life and am excited to begin this second half of my journey here on earth. Massage Therapy as a career opens up many opportunities that have been unavailable to me up to this present time. In pursuing the next path to take, I needed to search for the job that would not only fulfill me as a person, but one that would fit into future plans with my husband and family. I wanted something that would engage not only my mind, but also keep me physically active. Something that I could do the rest of my life and touch others’ lives for the better. Something that would help me care for my aging parents and my grandchildren. What I found in a career in massage therapy is all of that and more. Read more…
Although I’ve always loved massage, I didn’t consider it seriously until I decided to enroll in an accredited certification program this year. For a time I went back and forth convincing myself that massage as a career is not a viable option. That in spite of my appreciation and passion for it, I considered it as a practice most appropriate as a pastime or as informal study. I think I felt that this passion or knack I had for healing with my hands might be rolled out of me if I went through the proper schooling; that my “intuitive touch” might be contaminated or standardized. It took the honest encouragement of my friends and family to convince me to develop my talent for healing and to consider massage as a career path that I can and should pursue. Thankfully they did, because I’ve never felt more purposeful than now as I learn to help ease mine and other peoples’ pain. Keep reading…
Becoming a better version of ourselves
In past years, I had received massages from a friend who had gone through the Massage Therapy Program at the Central Oregon Community College some years earlier. I was always in awe of her ability to connect and attune herself with my body’s needs. Her touch and massage techniques were incredible. Through the power of massage, she could help the body’s healing process. What an absolute gift! Her work truly inspired me, and I had had the idea of becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist tucked away in the back of my brain for some time. I couldn’t really give it serious consideration until I retired from my environmental profession and had time to reflect upon what my future could be. Keep reading…
Aspiring to better yourself comes with a lot of adversity and challenges. To overcome these hardships, it requires hard work, planning, grit and most importantly, a love for what you do. Every day, you must remind yourself of your purpose and learn from it all. When I started the Massage Therapy at Stark State College, I had many obstacles and challenges that made me want to throw in the towel, but I did not. My name is Meribane, and this is my story. I remember my first college orientation. There was a sea of students eager to start their journey. The President of the university came on stage and gave a powerful speech that resonated with me. He discussed how the strength and growth of a tree depends on its roots. He compared our journey in college to a tree and that in order to flourish, we must grow our roots deep so we can withstand the storms. I always kept that in mind throughout my college career and it encouraged me. Keep reading…
Sometimes in life the moments that define you are short. The decision that I had to win the game for the team was a decision and action that took seconds. That’s it. These seconds changed the way I walk, the way I run, the way I move. This moment in a softball game altered everyday tasks for the rest of my life. This injury still haunts me since my hip bone goes back and forth from where it should be. This incident occurred while I was in college obtaining a bachelor’s degree years ago. Within the last three years, I have noticed a significant amount of pain developing and affecting my ability to move. In the past year, I had a friend that decided to become a massage therapist. I would poke fun at her saying “what are you doing?!?! This is not a real school! This is hippie school.” However, she would eventually prove me wrong. This friend taught me how useful and essential massage therapy is. My friend inspired me to develop a desire to want to heal others. Continue reading…
Opportunities to be creative and solve problems
As I embark on this journey to becoming a licensed massage therapist, I find myself facing new challenges with each client. Like a puzzle, our job as therapists is to piece together the information to create a plan for our clients to heal. Some clients are more challenging than others and require more attention, and sometimes require us to research more into how to help them. Just as I was beginning school for massage therapy, I acquired my most challenging client. This client has remained with me throughout my schooling and continues to provide me with a wealth of knowledge about therapy and the profound effects that massage can have both physically and mentally. I will refer to this client as Z. Keep reading…
I started reading about how massage therapy has helped hospice patients. I learned about Irene Smith, and the work she has done over the past thirty years as a hospice massage therapist. I also learned about Tracy Walton and her work with oncology massage. I realized I could do so much more for patients if I were an LMT. I could help relieve pain, anxiety, and nausea. I could work with people undergoing treatment. I could work with caregivers. Most of all, I could touch people who very badly need to be touched. I could reconnect them with their own bodies and help them feel a little less alone. I could give the gift of pleasure at a time when pleasure is hard to find. Read more…
I became passionate about helping those become stronger in ways they didn’t think they could. The bigger the limit, the more interested I was in working with that client. Fused spine, abdominal separation, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or severe Parkinson’s Disease, I could help. I had struggled with having to give up on my passions in life, I wanted to help others not give up on theirs. Not only am I now able to do many of the activities I gave up while doing the same for others, I also feel stronger and fitter than I did a decade ago. I have since sought out additional education to expand my modalities. I became certified as an FRC Mobility Specialist in order to help improve joint function, I am Primal Health Coach, so I can speak to diet the way our ancestors did, and in an effort to be a better healer, now go to school to become a licensed massage therapist. My goal is to help those that come into my path move better and move more often. Read about Casey’s journey…
Many types of massage to learn and offer to clients
My friend started to exhibit symptoms of a genetic disease that left her in chronic pain most of the time. One night she asked me to massage her legs as her husband had been doing and when I was done, she said something that I will never forget. My friend told me that I had healer’s hands. She said that not only had relief come more quickly but that it lasted longer too. Seeing the relief I was able to provide my friend with nothing more than my hands inspired me to seek professional training so that I could do the same for others. The more I learned about the profession, the more excited I became over the diverse application of massage. With so many amazing uses, it has been difficult to decide where my skills would be best applied. However, I always think back to the night I helped my friend and knew that I would like to work in tandem with health care professionals and physical therapists to provide non-medicinal relief to patients. Keep reading…
For me this journey really started about 5 years ago, that’s when it began, or more accurately that’s when my mind started to shift. For most of my life I’d avoided touch – a squeeze on the arm, a hug from a friend, a variety fairly minor expressions of intimacy, all were off limits to me. I’d decided I was untouchable, I’m not sure at what point that belief crystallized but by an early age it took hold, becoming a fairly solid and formidable block in my outlook. This is not to say I lived a completely cold and touchless existence but more a reference to the framework in which I placed my body and the emotional recoil I experienced with most forms of touch because I lacked true self-acceptance. I had always been a lover of knowledge though, studying various philosophies and seeking out all opportunities for growth. Keep reading…
After giving everything I had to my dream I didn’t really know what to do next, but I knew that I didn’t have forever to figure it out and school was starting soon. So I sent my application into Sage School of Massage and Esthetics. I didn’t know if it was even what I wanted to do but it had helped me and I wanted to help other people. All the careers that I had ever wanted to go into were all to help people. The truth is that going into massage was the fastest decision I have ever made in my life, I like to think things through before I do them. I have been so scared that I made the wrong decision, but I know that I didn’t. This is the job that gives me everything I have ever wanted. I can be successful as a massage therapist helping so many people through my knowledge and personal experiences, but I don’t have to sacrifice my dreams of a family to do so. Keep reading…
Massage therapy as a second career
My massage journey begins a few years ago when I began to pursue an online personal training career and certification though PTA Global. I learned quite a lot about the human body in the few months it took me to become certified. I gained a baseline knowledge for the body systems, muscles, bones, organs and how everything worked together. This is where my curiosity seed was planted. Fast forward to a year later. I sprained my back moving a box. Ridiculous, I know. Always lift with your legs! This back sprain led me to physical therapy and then to a massage therapist afterwards. Being a massage newbie at 21 years old I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never had a massage or anything of the sort. I was completely blindsided by what happened after the fact. I went in for my massage filled out my insurance paperwork and sat in the delightful smelling waiting room. I selected a targeted area relaxation massage for my back. I wasn’t ready for a deep tissue, which sounded too intimidating and probably painful given my state at the time. Continue reading…
I want to be a massage therapist because it will give me the opportunity to have direct contact with people for the sole purpose of making them feel better. As a people person, it doesn’t get any better than that! My journey to massage school began nearly 40 years ago when I earned a degree in nursing. It was a career choice that allowed me to work closely with people in managing their health and well-being. Unfortunately for me, the responsibilities of an RN have become less hands-on and more supervisory in nature. And so, with a growing sense of professional dissatisfaction, I decided in January to retire from nursing and pursue a better way to connect with people physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was introduced to massage therapy while taking a couple’s massage course with my daughter several years ago. When asked why we were taking the class, I said something out loud that I hadn’t fully recognized before – massaging other people relaxes me. And while the focus of massage therapy is on massaging body tissue, the therapeutic atmosphere created by gentle, purposeful contact allows people to relax and release emotional as well as physical stress. Read more…
During my training to be a massage therapist I had learn not only about the body and its functions, but about what it means to be a professional, honoring ethical boundaries. I am developing the capacity to see and meet my clients where they are at in their lives and states of being while encouraging them to develop their own capacities for greater senses of wholeness in their lives. The practice of developing compassion and understanding is helping me grow as a person and create an authentic experience between me and my clients. It helps me understand my choice of how I show up in my work and in the world. This is a brave journey and opportunity for all thinking of attending massage school, an opportunity to not only better the lives of others but to also better themselves, each action rippling out for the betterment of the world. Read Kyle’s story…
Massage therapists follow their dreams
My journey of becoming a massage therapist is a story of challenges, failure and success. It is not the story of every student of massage therapy, and its uniqueness may seem difficult for an average student to identify with. But it is the dream we all share, the opportunity to follow our heart and persevere in the midst of daunting and often uncertain circumstances. I made several false starts at figuring out what I might be good at, and what might feel like more than just a job. I actually hoped to discover what I would love doing, and perhaps find even a calling for my life. I studied cooking while still in high school but found it unsatisfying. Then I pursued a degree in bookkeeping, receiving a master’s degree in economics, but my heart was not in that either. At the encouragement of my husband, I followed a dream I had long hidden from others and successfully completed a certificate in massage therapy (in the Ukraine). My husband was an American, so I began learning to speak English and then, following the birth of our little boy we moved to America. Keep reading…
I’m enrolled at Healing Hands School in the Massage Therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner program. I’m also interning with the Egoscue Institute and for the first time I am seeing a dramatic shift in my pelvic region that is lasting longer than a few days. I have a significant reduction in the pain and popping I had been experiencing and for the first time I feel like I am in control of my health and my body. The moral of the story: I learned something from my illnesses. And while it may not be entirely “cured” yet, I am well on my way to a healthier, happier self as a result of my education and the empowerment that accompanied it. Knowledge is power and one day I will be sharing my skills in order to inspire and help others who are in pain and seeking a way out. Every problem we face is a lesson to be learned and we get to decide how to approach that problem. There is always a way out and more often than not we are the ones standing in our own way. Read Kelly’s story…
My journey into massage therapy began in May of 2018 when I was searching for a way to better help my clients. As a current personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist at Functionally Integrated Training and Therapy (FITT) here in Baton Rouge, I am working with many clients daily and seeing most of them two to four times a week. As relationships with these clients develop, my desire to help them in their physical endeavors and pain management grows. However, I was left feeling incapable of helping them in the way I felt they needed it most, through manual therapy. Being in the industry I knew the importance of being licensed to do this. I also knew how many doors it would open in the world of continuing education with a license for therapeutic touch as a solid foundation. I decided the investment was worth it if it meant I could bridge the gap between what I knew they needed and what I was currently able to provide as a professional. Read about Kinrda’s journey…
Sitting in a classroom setting and taking my first exam in 24 years proved nerve-wracking and stressful. Having no idea what to expect from the school, instructors, and fellow students was indeed unsettling. However, after just a few days, I realized that the goal of the school was not to illicit fear of failure, but to encourage success. The amount of information being imposed upon us students is more than I would ever imagine. Using that part of my brain for learning is more than a mere challenge. With limited memory abilities, absorbing new information is difficult, but possible. The diversity of my classmates and the willingness we all share to help each other learn is invaluable. Living in the true “Happy Valley” of State College, PA, and growing up in a small community, I had never experienced exposure to concepts such as non-traditional medicine, energy lines, as well as classmates with truly varying life experiences and interests. Most awkward is that many of them are young enough to be my children. Talk about feeling old! Each and every student brings new perspectives and different talents to the classroom environment. It is a pleasure to experience this diversity. Read more about Tammy’s journey…
My background is in professional running. For six years after college, I spent an unending amount of time and effort seeking fast times and quality competition on roads, tracks and cross country courses. More times than not, in the peak of my training, often before big races, I’d experience a serious setback. In these times of duress, I’d seek solace and hope from Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, and most often, Massage Therapists. Looking back at those dark days of my newly injured state, it was often these technicians who talked me off a ledge, who assured me that the end was not near. I vowed after these injuries, that when my competition days were over, I’d help athletes the way these people helped me. Looking back these countless health-related sessions, I realized that the massage therapists often had the best soft-tissue techniques and offered the most comprehensive treatment. Rather than focusing on one specific area of injury, the massage therapists would work up the entire chain of muscles, utilizing many techniques. I also found these massage sessions to be less rushed, more relaxed and better for my mental state. Read more…
I’ve had a passion for massage therapy ever since I was about 14 years old; practicing on my older sister as I learned new and exciting ideas that she got from the massage therapist she went to. I love the thought of helping people feel better. For instance, my grandmother has gone to a chiropractor for a while, which was becoming too expensive. I wanted to understand why she hurt and be able to help her feel better. My mother was also going to a chiropractor and was unable to get relief after many months of treatment. The practitioner finally told her that only massage therapy would help. I have enjoyed being able to help my mother with what I’m learning. Read more…
My massage therapy story begins a little differently than most and is the reason I’ll be continuing in the industry in the way that I am. I was the manager and lead personal trainer of a fitness center here in the state of Washington. I loved every aspect of my job, but it was becoming monotonous. My military experience made managing a gym easy and after becoming the top personal trainer, it seemed like there wasn’t much of a ladder to climb anymore. For this reason, I enrolled in massage therapy, as it seemed like the perfect supplement to personal training. I’ve discovered the relationship between personal training and massage therapy is more interconnected than I originally expected and the two skill sets make for a powerful combination of positive influence. Keep reading…
I am approaching the conclusion of my two wonderful and gratifying careers and as I have been contemplating a way to continue to give to others, educate and serve others, massage therapy was first on the list of possibilities. Now that I am enrolled in massage therapy school, I have no doubt that it was the right choice for me. I am very well connected with the medical community here in my city and plan to network with physicians, physical therapists, PA’s and nurse practitioners who practice in women’s health and sports medicine and develop a strong referral base for their patients and clients. I realize that this will take time to mature into a successful and lucrative business so I will be aggressive but patient during the first year after graduation and massage licensure. Read more…