Golden hands - this is how you can call the hands of Ekaterina Sergeevna. Over the 6 years of working as a children's massage therapist, they have helped more than one hundred little patients get back on their feet.
These hands helped achieve complete rehabilitation or positive dynamics in case of serious orthopedic diseases. It all started with courses of therapeutic massage and gymnastics for children from 0 to 14 years old!
Today Ekaterina Sergeevna will tell readers of Reconomica about the work of a massage therapist, about her victories and difficulties of the profession. And also why you chose such difficult work, what kind of income a massage business brings in, and who is suitable for a profession that borders on a vocation.
Profession massage therapist
A massage therapist is a massage specialist, most often with a medical education. By rubbing and pressing with his hands on various parts of the body, the massage therapist eliminates painful conditions and relieves his clients from most diseases.
Types of massage
There are 4 main types of massage:
- Medicinal
. This type of massage is considered one of the effective methods for treating various diseases and injuries. Massage is applied on or near the damaged area of the body. - Sports.
It is performed to prepare an athlete to achieve great results or after various types of stress, when muscles are tired and fatigued for quick recovery of the body. - Children's.
Recommended for children with various types of disorders, for example, with psychomotor development, with impaired muscle tone, with congenital dislocations. - Cosmetic
. Used to improve the skin of the face, neck, hands, and improve skin tone. Recommended for visible aging of the skin of exposed parts of the body, for the appearance of wrinkles and swelling.
Mastering massage and self-massage for beginners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE0ZWXWdk-E
There are several massage techniques , usually no more than seven, and a strong technique alternates with a weak one.
Each reception is performed along the paths of the lymphatic system . The direction goes to the closest nodes. This means that the area along the spinal column is massaged. From hip to knee, foot to knee, from neck to head, belly to armpit, hand to elbow, elbow to armpit, fingers to wrist, from lower back to groin. These techniques should in no way cause the development of pain. The massage therapist relaxes the muscles as much as possible. Lymph should not be massaged.
The arms and legs close to the massage therapist and those distant from invariant areas of the body (neck, back, pelvis, deep and oblique muscles) are rubbed, then the massage therapist switches to another part of the body.
The torso is massaged naked ; massage through clothes uses the least number of methods - only those that provide the effect. Massaging can be done using a sheet.
Massage can be local or general
In massage lessons for beginners at home, there are 2 types of massage: individual and cumulative.
In your own (district, local) massage, individual lobes of the body are rubbed . This method is an individual massage of the upper vertebra or hand, muscle, joint, etc. The duration of an individual massage is directly related to a person’s problems. For example, the patient’s increased sensitivity to effects on muscles and soft tissues. Typically this procedure lasts approximately 12-15 minutes , but may be longer depending on the method.
In a general massage , the entire human figure, without exception, is rubbed .
The duration of the session , in addition, depends on many reasons , be it obesity, high growth and other characteristics of the patient, as well as the type of massage (“healthy”, “healing”, “sports”).
Pros and cons of working as a massage therapist
Being a massage therapist has its advantages. Here are some of them:
- Good income.
A classic therapeutic massage session with an experienced specialist costs from 2,000 rubles. At the beginning of your career, prices for appointments will be noticeably lower, ranging from 500-1500 rubles. At the initial stages, you can easily earn at least 30,000-45,000 rubles per month. It all depends on your mood and performance. - Flexible schedule and opportunity to work from home.
There is no need to get up when the alarm goes off and run to work in the cold and cold. You can plan your own work schedule or negotiate a convenient working time for you in the salon. - Demand.
The profession of massage therapist is in demand in the labor market. Many salons, clinics and sanatoriums need qualified specialists, for example, now the website hh.ru contains more than 200 job offers as a massage therapist in Moscow.
There are also disadvantages to being a massage therapist, and they are as follows:
- Big competition.
It is difficult for a beginner to make it to high incomes in the initial stages, because good, time-tested massage therapists are worth their weight in gold, and, therefore, many clients go to more professional specialists. - Work on the feet
. Not many people can stand the whole day, so in the evening there may be swelling and pain in the legs. At first, baths with cool water, ointments that relieve heaviness, and resting with your legs elevated will help you cope with this problem. - Occupational diseases.
Over time, problems with the back, wrists, fingers and shoulders may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully take care of your health. Do various exercises for problem areas, exercise and take vitamins.
How much does a medical massage therapist earn?
The ability to earn a high income depends on many factors. For example, when working in a government agency, you will have a salary and work hours for the month, but you will not need clients.
Working for a private business will mean obligatory donation of part of the money earned from a client to the organization, on average this equals 40-60% of your real revenue, but you will not need to worry about clients, paying rent, sick leave and vacation.
As a rule, it is quite difficult for beginners without experience to get a job in large private organizations.
The option of sharing a rental, for example with a partner in a massage course or another colleague, would be quite interesting in terms of earning money.
When working from home, you will need to allocate a separate room to perform the necessary manipulations and provide your visitor with the opportunity to relax as much as possible during the procedure. The same conditions are necessary for the home visit option, only on the client’s premises. In both cases, the cost of performing a massage is lower than in a salon.
A massage therapist’s earnings are directly proportional to the number of clients who come to you for a procedure per day, your specialization (for example, many therapeutic techniques are quite expensive), the demand for the specialty and your hard work.
Formula for a massage therapist’s net earnings: number of clients per day * cost of the procedure * number of working days. To calculate the real income that you will have in your hands, you need to subtract from the amount received the costs of funds necessary for work and other spending factors: rent, interest to the employer, etc.
The average income of a beginner starts at 20,000 and, with a good client base, quickly grows to 70 thousand rubles or more.
The exact figure, as you can understand, depends too much on many factors, which are not possible to take into account in one article.
How much do massage therapists earn?
The salary of a massage therapist depends on professionalism and experience. Let's do the math. An average massage session costs from 1,000–1,500 rubles. If you hire 3 people a day, devote 3–4 hours to work, your earnings will be 3,000–4,500 rubles per day. That is, per month, taking into account weekends, you will earn 60,000–90,000. It all depends on your persistence and desire to improve.
Experienced massage therapists earn from 2,000 rubles per session of a healing massage. Here, for example, is the price list for several types of massage in a spa in St. Petersburg. It is worth considering that the salon takes part of the amount.
Water self-massage for beginners at home
Water massage is performed using special means.
Unlike the classic one, this type of massage is performed using special objects: a plastic tip and an elastic hose for spraying water. At home, such a massage is comfortable and easy to perform, since everyone has these devices in their shower.
At first, the massage is carried out gradually from the legs to the torso . The stronger the jet pressure, the better it is for the tissues to be massaged and filled with blood. It is also useful to change the temperature of the water to tone the skin.
This type of massage is considered the safest and easiest to perform.
Where to study to be a massage therapist
Unfortunately, there are many amateurs on the Internet offering to take courses for beginning massage therapists in 2-3 days and start earning money. Remember, it is impossible to teach all the basics of massage in such a short time! Most likely, the knowledge gained in these courses will be superficial. The first rule on the way to the goal: competent and high-quality training. Choose massage schools with a good reputation, read reviews about the teachers.
You can try to learn various massage techniques on your own by reading books, articles and watching videos on YouTube. But you won’t be able to earn money, because there is nothing to prove such training, and clients need confidence in the massage therapist’s qualifications. In addition, you also need confidence - during the courses you will have the opportunity to practice on models.
However, in order to pamper your loved ones with a massage, you can learn the techniques yourself. Remember that you take on the risks for the health of your loved ones.
Disadvantages of work:
- revenue depends on customers;
- It’s difficult for a beginner to build a client base;
- It’s difficult to get a job in a prestigious institution from scratch;
- The work schedule in the salon is not subject to the actual appointment, but to the operating hours of the institution (that is, you can have two clients a day, scheduled for the morning and evening, but in your free time you are still required to be at your workplace);
- You will have to work with clients mostly while standing, so if you are overzealous, you can expose yourself to the risk of developing occupational diseases, for example, varicose veins of the lower extremities.
What subjects do you need to take to become a massage therapist?
To take a massage course, you do not need to take any school subjects. You can learn massage from scratch through specialized courses and additional education programs. It’s another matter if you are planning to enter a medical school, college or technical school for medical or nursing studies. Then upon admission you must pass biology, chemistry, Russian and mathematics.
Medical education must be mandatory when working professionally as a massage therapist!
Video – training in professional massage
Describing techniques and methods in words is a thankless and empty task, especially if the student has never encountered this before. There is an excellent video on the Internet on how to learn how to do a massage yourself with a detailed description of the movements and explanations.
To get as close as possible to professionals, follow the tips above, and you will definitely learn how to massage yourself, delighting your loved ones. In addition, after some time needed for practice, it is quite possible to earn a living, because the pay for this hard work is decent.
Massage is not only a pleasant and relaxing procedure. It may also be indicated for medicinal purposes. That is why incorrect movements can only harm a person. We propose to consider the general and most important principles of implementation:
- Movements should be carried out along the location of the lymph nodes. For example, the neck should be massaged from the hair to the shoulders, the legs - from the feet to the knees, the chest - from the chest to the armpits.
- It is important that the person's body is relaxed during the massage session.
- Pauses between movements should be minimal. From one method, proceed immediately to the next.
- Massage on a naked body to ensure the best tactile contact.
- It is best to use special means. These can be all kinds of gels, oils and creams. A simple rich baby cream will do just fine. If the product is cold, then first leave it to warm up at room temperature.
Now you know the basic rules, you can move on to a specific type of massage.
How to get a massage therapist certificate
You can receive a massage therapist certificate after successfully completing the course. So, in the courses, first of all, they will teach you classical techniques, help you “position” your hand and give you the basic basics of massage. This is followed by the examination process. It includes an exam in human anatomy and physiology, theory and practice. The exam task is a massage of a certain part of the body, where you will have to demonstrate to the teacher the skills you have acquired. A certificate of completion of the course is then issued.
Our expert Vyacheslav spoke in more detail about how his exam went:
We had an anatomy exam. Tickets for 3 questions: anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. The next exam is on theory: in short, they tell you problems, and you talk about ways to solve them. In the practical exam, you are asked to demonstrate certain massage techniques.
About the difficulties of the profession
There is no easy money anywhere. To earn a piece of bread, I had to overcome many difficulties.
- find time and money to take courses;
- radically change jobs;
- find an approach to young patients;
- be able to find a common language with their relatives;
- work not just “from call to call”, but for results;
- gain regular customers in a small town;
- go against the interests of your children and your own, sacrifice personal time;
- work extremely hard with almost no vacation or days off.
Note: How I started earning over 10,000 a month from scratch doing eyelash extensions (a real story from a student).
Today I still work in a children's clinic as a massage nurse. I agreed to work at 0.5 rate only to gain experience.
My monthly income does not fall below 40,000 rubles, and there is no point in doing the same work for pennies.
How to become a massage therapist without medical education
To legally work as a massage therapist, you must have a medical degree (see Federal Law below).
Therefore, if you plan to become a massage therapist at a professional level, you need to complete secondary vocational education in nursing or medical science. Otherwise, if you try to work for yourself without a medical education, you can get into big problems, including criminal liability.
Where to get first clients for a novice massage therapist
Your most important task, as a beginner, is also a headache: attracting clients. Your future will entirely depend on the sequence of its solution. Using personal experience as an example, I described all the features of the process in the article “ How to find clients for massage .” If you want to learn interesting details about the process of debugging client flow, be sure to check it out.
In order not to take up a lot of your time now, I will say briefly: the most effective way, especially for beginners, is to use attracting visitors via the Internet.
You can start with the simplest thing: get yourself a nice Instagram, guests and subscribers of the page will be able to make a decision in your favor - come for a massage.
The only thing left to do is to properly design and develop your Instagram so that people want to subscribe and be active.
If you don’t know how to make your account attractive, use the valuable recommendations from the book “ Successful Beauty Master ” by beauty expert Angelina Bogdanova. You can order the book right now and immediately start building relationships with your audience through your page.
For those who are seriously ready to develop and attract clients using the extensive tools of the Network, the course “ How to Find Clients ” is perfect. This is an opportunity to quickly master online customer acquisition through free methods of promotion and brand building.
What a massage therapist needs to know
A massage specialist needs to have a perfect knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, how massage techniques affect the body, be able to conduct a palpation examination and collect a client’s medical history.
A massage therapist must have perfect personal qualities such as:
- the ability to win over clients;
- patience;
- friendliness;
- equilibrium;
- calm;
- tact;
- attentiveness.
It is necessary to try to establish a trusting relationship with the client. The success of treatment depends on this.
A professional massage therapist must be able to perform all types of massage, from therapeutic to cosmetic, and choose techniques and techniques that will help the client improve their health.
Personnel control
Now let's talk about how to monitor the masters so that they do not steal clients into their pockets.
Yes, indeed, such a problem exists. It is connected, in my opinion, with the lack of normal labor organization and production control, unformed traditions of corporate ethics, and the absence of progressive labor incentive programs.
Sometimes the personal qualities of both the employee and the employer come into play. When hiring an employee, from the first day it is necessary to explain his job responsibilities, working hours and regulations, corporate style and ethics standards, the procedure for recording his work, filing reports, and financial discipline. For each type there must be forms of control. Complex methods can be used when several components of work activity are checked at once. For example, you can simply go in and check your presence at the workplace. Or you can invite an employee with a log of procedures performed per shift, client registration cards, BSO forms (if the massage therapist himself accepts payment) or invite an administrator for financial reconciliation. Such procedures should be fairly regular, then they are not perceived as something extraordinary.
At the same time, excessive control and unreasonably harsh punishments for violations create nervousness among conscientious workers. On the contrary, this situation encourages “leftist” lovers to search for even more sophisticated ways of putting your money into their pockets.
Analyzing my activities, I can confidently say that “leftism” cannot be eliminated at all. But it can be reduced to an acceptable size through legalization, calling it new forms of material interest and bonuses for the employee. For example, allow an employee, upon achieving certain indicators, to take one “personal” approach and allocate specific time for him. He will still drag one of his own even without your permission. Don't prohibit employees from accepting gifts and money from grateful clients and don't impose your "local taxes" on them.
The second way is to develop partnerships with employees. Only equal and mutual focus on results gives the desired result.
The combination of these two methods can form a good team and lead your business to success.
What does a massage therapist need to work?
To work as a massage therapist you must purchase:
- A massage table. The main working tool of a massage therapist. The effectiveness of the procedures depends on its quality.
- Disposable sheets. Indispensable during the procedure. They protect the table from various oils and other cosmetics getting on it.
- Massage Oil. Prevents irritation, moisturizes and softens the skin. Enhances the healing effect of massage.
- First aid kit. If the patient needs help, the office should have a first aid kit with the necessary medications.
If you are going to work for yourself, then you need to rent a room for a massage room and purchase lockers, racks for necessary supplies, a hanger for guests’ clothes or a wardrobe for outerwear.
Preparing the room
The massage session should take place in a calm and pleasant environment.
The room during the session can be either bright or with dim lighting. Create a warm, calm, fresh environment : turn on music, free the room from distractions: phone/children/pets.
Necessary equipment:
- a comfortable hard surface (bed, massage table or futon on the floor, with access free from different sides);
- auxiliary items (warm towel, massage oil, for example: olive or grape seed and alcohol, the latter is used to remove greasy marks).
How to start working as a novice massage therapist
How can a beginner start working after completing the course? Where to look for clients? Now we will tell you about it.
Without work experience, it is difficult to get a job in a large spa salon with a good salary, but you can try your luck in smaller beauty salons.
Try to find your first clients from your circle of friends and family for a small fee. After the procedure, ask your friends to recommend you to someone. Social networks can become your assistant to promote yourself and get regular customers.
You can also look for clients by advertising your services on the Internet. For example, create a business card website, post a post with the services of a massage therapist on Instagram and VKontakte, advertise in other social networks. networks or on Avito.
Don't sit idly by. Take action! Improve yourself and give 100% during the procedure. If the client likes your work, he will come again and, perhaps, bring friends with him.
Marketing research
Competition assessment.
Having decided to open a business, you probably said to yourself - So what? Why not me! Not bad, but not enough. Identify your closest competitors, their strengths and weaknesses. After this, honestly answer yourself the question of why you are better than your rivals. Find at least 3-4 objective advantages. If you cannot do this, then postpone your idea until better times.
Advertising strategy.
Massage services are classified as personal services for a reason. The best advertisement will be your professional reputation. It will spread by word of mouth. Whatever one may say, this is one of the effective ways of advertising, especially for small cities.
Don’t forget to notify your regular clients, loved ones, friends, colleagues , especially those who regularly refer clients to you, that you are opening your own business. Please provide communication methods and contacts, as well as the address of the new reception location.
Purchase handout flyers and invitation business cards in advance. This tool is especially effective in the hands of your grateful patients. We have many wonderful people who, inspired by the results of your work, will ask permission to give your contact number to relatives and friends. If you not only allow, but also provide such a client with business cards or flyers, he will begin distribution with greater initiative.
Various branded little things with a logo and contacts are quite attractive to customers : pocket calendars, key rings, pens, notepads, magnets. Give them to your clients as gifts. Customers often take them and keep them for a long time. At the right time, these souvenirs will remind you of you.
Media advertising in small towns practically does not work; in large cities it gives an effect, but requires high costs.
The Internet helps a lot. Especially if you are young and active on social media. networks and on various forums. Availability of at least a simple business card website, page on social networks, etc. will become a mandatory attribute in a situation where you plan to start or specialize in field services.
Feel free to provide information about yourself. It is clear that we love with our ears, but if real evidence is presented to support the words, then this is only a plus. Place copies of educational documents, diplomas of achievement, awards, and photographs in your office. On the website, create a resume about yourself, your experience and competence. Make an album there for photo and video materials. It’s good if the site has a reviews page. This is your professional pride.
Near your office, if possible, set up a small information stand for your potential visitors. Indicate your full name, work schedule (days and hours of reception), contacts for pre-registration. It is advisable to place several business cards there. At the stand it is possible to place a short summary of your professional competence, provide information about the types of massage services and their costs.
Use non-standard advertising techniques.
Helpful tip #3.
Almost every specialist has creative or socially active people among his clients. Many of them will definitely invite you to their concert, creative meeting, exhibition, meeting of the club of mothers or vigorous athletes. Don't hesitate, be sure to go. Most likely, your client will introduce you to guests in public, or at a cocktail party. You will leave this meeting with several new clients.
Helpful tip #4.
This example is associated with a good choice of location. Works great for an office or small salon in the structure of a large institution (this option for placing an office is mentioned above). By opening an office in the structure of existing institutions with good attendance, you can strengthen the advertising of your services, attracting the institution’s staff to your side. The options are simple. Establish a friendly contact, invite you to your place for a massage at a good discount. It will pay off in spades.
Sales promotion methods.
In this component, there is no need to rush and organize loud promotions, such as “We are open, the first session is free, the rest are 50% discount.” However, a correct and well-thought-out sales promotion strategy creates conditions for the formation and expansion of a customer base.
When starting your business, incentivize those who work for your business. First of all, these are “propagandists” from among colleagues, related staff and grateful clients. At the start, reasonable family and corporate discounts pay off. Later, connect a bonus program for regular customers. Bonuses for repeat clients for pre-registration and for prepayment of half or the entire course work well.
At the same time, do not try to give discounts and bonuses to everyone. First, determine for yourself who should be considered a regular customer, who should be a repeat customer, who should be given a “family discount,” and in what situation we can talk about corporate service. It would be better if all this was attached to your price list, placed in a visible place in your office, reflected on the website, in handouts.
Immediately stop those who start talking about discounts right away. Charity is a necessary thing. But do it of your own free will, and not under the coercion of others.
Where to work as a massage therapist
After you have mastered the art of massage, the question will arise: “Where is the best place to work?”
At the beginning of your career, it is best to pay attention to salons, fitness clubs, etc. The advantage of working in such establishments is the constant flow of clients. You won't be left without work. But you won’t earn much at the initial stage. It all depends on the price list in the salon. In most cases, the massage therapist receives a percentage of the service he provides.
You can try working from home or renting an office. Then all the money earned, not counting rent and electricity, will be yours.
If you seriously decide to become a massage therapist, take action, practice and look for a mentor. Once you get the hang of it, you can turn your hobby into a job you love. I wish you success!
Tell us in the comments how quickly you managed to master massage knowledge. Repost so you don’t forget how to become a massage therapist if you finally decide to master this profession.
Important Preface
A massage business is a type of activity in which the business entrepreneurial qualities and organizational skills of the business owner, combined with the fairly high professionalism of the massage service provider, are important.
If we talk about the massage business from ZERO, then it is immediately necessary to identify a number of points.
What should be understood by the initial condition “from scratch”?
If you are an absolute zero in the profession and decide to start your own business, then leave this idea. Burn out. The best thing to do in such a situation is to focus on professional growth and qualifications. Train yourself as a hired employee and build your client base. This requires some time and, possibly, money to complete additional training programs. In a word, invest in yourself first, and then think about business.
A young ambitious businessman for whom massage services are his first business project, in my opinion, will most likely be disappointed. This type of business has its own characteristics related to the field of application (medicine, sports, cosmetology, spa, etc.), features of legal regulation, seasonality of demand, etc. In addition, the project of a separate massage room is unlikely to be promising. In a starting business project, you need to focus on a network of several offices, or on a separate salon. This requires quite serious investments. The second problem is personnel selection. The opening salon must have sufficiently professional staff and a competent manager. Good specialists cost the appropriate money. In short, you can’t get away with minimum wage here. So, we won’t talk about this in our article.
A possible option is investing in an account, for example, on the p2p principle. But this is a different business.
Taking into account the above, I believe that only a potentially competitive person can open a massage business from scratch (with minimal investment). He must not only produce the service itself with high quality, but be able to adequately present it on the market and sell it profitably. In this case, it is more correct to talk about “self-employment”. With certain aspirations, you can develop into a full-fledged business.
