Massage Therapists
Health ScienceO*NET 31-9011.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $52,878
- Projected change
- +20%
- Typical education
- Certificate
- Employment
- 186.21K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
73.1% of the workforce
Growing to 223.36K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What massage therapists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
- Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
- Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
- Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
- Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
- Maintain treatment records.
- Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
- Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
- Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
- Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary.
- Prepare and blend oils and apply the blends to clients' skin.
- Consult with other health care professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians, and psychologists, to develop treatment plans for clients.
- Perform other adjunctive therapies or treatment techniques in addition to massage.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $24,104
- 25th percentile
- $36,087
- 50th percentile
- $52,878
- 75th percentile
- $79,635
- 90th percentile
- $125,799
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $52,878 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+20%much faster than average
2025186,205 jobs
2035 projected223,358 jobs
37,153 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Certificate
- 73.1%
- Associate degree
- 11.5%
- Some college
- 7.7%
- High school diploma or less
- 3.9%
- Bachelor's degree
- 3.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Licensed Massage Therapists7,308 postings
- 02Massage Therapists6,293 postings
- 03Certified Massage Therapists256 postings
- 04Spa Massage Therapists243 postings
- 05Hospice Massage Therapists114 postings
- 06Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapists100 postings
- 07Total Body Stretch Service Providers96 postings
- 08Licenced Massage Therapists71 postings
- 09Massage Therapy Instructors67 postings
- 10Lead Massage Therapists66 postings
- 11Massage Therapist Managers53 postings
- 12Sports Massage Therapists51 postings
- 13Masseuses50 postings
- 14Deep Tissue Massage Therapists48 postings
- 15Medical Massage Therapists48 postings
- 16Clinical Massage Therapists47 postings
- 17Student Massage Therapists39 postings
- 18Massage Technicians34 postings
- 19Massage Therapists/Chiropractic Assistants33 postings
- 20Therapists32 postings
Top employers
- 01Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa664 postings
- 02Massage Envy590 postings
- 03Elements Massage444 postings
- 04Colleyville Lifetime Fitness339 postings
- 05Zeel.Com230 postings
- 06Marriott International176 postings
- 07Arch Amenities Group143 postings
- 08Equinox137 postings
- 09Life Time126 postings
- 10Hyatt107 postings
- 11St. Croix Hospice87 postings
- 12Hand & Stone81 postings
- 13Omni Hotels & Resorts71 postings
- 14Hilton68 postings
- 15Massage Heights Franchising50 postings
- 16Blue Sky Massage44 postings
- 17French Lick Resort43 postings
- 18Health Fitness Corporation40 postings
- 19Herespa40 postings
- 20Four Seasons37 postings
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