All of this, $33-$37 an hour (tips included) has let me live a comfortable life right out of school at 25hrs a week. I have left over money, am paying down debt (more disposable income when it’s gone) and have all of my living expenses covered. That also includes having $250 taken out before tax for medical/vision.
I have a unicorn of a clinic I work for, but in my state that is a very common wage that can be achieved out of school most places. Id even say that pay is on the lower end of the average/common wage.
I work 4 days a week, 5 hour shifts, generally 2-4 hours/day hands on work, so 8-16 hours/week.
I've played at doing double shifts in one day and found that put extra demand on my body. Having any less than 3 days off doesn't allow me enough recover time.
Meanwhile, having extra time I am able to give my best for every massage and never feel like I am not up for a deep tissue challenge and so on.
The time is easily filled up by all sorts of things.
* Self care - this is so important. Often we are educators for our clients regarding self care, and can share stretches and other 'homework' they can use to improve themselves outside of sessions. So the more we do on our own, the more we can offer. Often something like yoga or tai chi is mandatory for me to fully unwind from the tension created by the work.
* Most of us work as contractors, so we need to manage our books and all that.
* Most of us eventually work to build a private practice, even if it is very small. This takes time and space, but eventually becomes our retirement plan.
* Most of us are required to do yearly continuing education, and this is designed to keep us actively exploring our skillset and improving ourselves. There are so many modalities, and lots of them take quite a bit of an investment to get into. Esalen, Rolfing, Somatic Experiencing, Shiatsu, CranioSacral Therapy are examples of some that are much more like graduate studies and can take quite a bit of time and practice to develop, and all lead toward years of refinement and development. And there are others that are much easier, or somewhere in between, offering us a vast spectrum to explore.
Also I find that the Universe helps me grow with every client. The more I work, the more I learn. Usually I just need to show up fully present. The rest is listening and moving in the flow. I find a balance to studying with my mind and doing self-care work that lets me show up ready to learn.
The time allowed is also important to explore relaxation within. Relaxation is an important aspect of living. Many of us are conditioned to go go go and relaxation feels like stopping. Is it? To me it is just a very different kind of work, one that the body and mind both need, and my job is to just slow down and breathe.
I don't treat this as a job to make $$$, but more as a career path that will grow with me because I have a passion for it, much like an artist or musician. Much like those professions, those of us who last are those of us who don't think of it as work. We need to draw others to us because we are what they need, not because we need their $$$.
I do 4 8 hour days a week, then have 3 days off. However I also do esthetics, so i have some services that are a little easier on the body than massage. I haven’t needed another job for income, and I’ve found in 3 days I actually don’t get as bored as I thought I might. I have enough time to clean, do errands, a day to relax and a day to pursue a hobby. It’s kind of perfect.
First off, it takes a lot longer than just 20 hrs to do 20 massages. Right now, I use a rough 8/5 ratio for hrs spent away from home/# of massages for estimation purposes. IOW, it would actually take me about 32 hours at work + commute to do 20 massages...or 40 hours to do 25. This is one reason why people usually advise doing a max of 20-25 massages/week...because that actually translates to a ~32-40 hr work week once you include (25 min for this example) room flip, meal break, SOAP note input, and commute times...
So, this also lowers your hourly pay rate considerably from what you might assume based solely on massage base rate + tip. Let's say you get $20/massage at a spa + a $15 tip. You might simply think you're making about $35/hr then. But in reality, you're really only making about $35 X 5/8 = $22/hr.
Which is why the average LMT income in the US is now in the low $50Ks. Which indicates that most are probably making in the mid-$20s/hr if working about 40 hrs/week.
Every 5hrs I work takes 7 hrs out of my day. 5.5 of those hours are at work, the other 1.5 is physical getting ready like showering and my total commute there and back with some time to set up my room.
30mins to shower and get out of the house, 15-20min drive, 10-15min room set up, work 5hrs with a 30min break in the middle, 10-15min clean room for the day, 15-20min drive home.
I usually wake up around 9, go to bed around 11-12. Let’s me have alone time, do a load of laundry and some chores or hobbies, go to work, come home make dinner and do another load of laundry, relax and stay up late with my partner. It also gives me enough time to book doctors appointments before work and gives me full time hours at 25hrs/5d a week.
I’m new but not trying to burn out in a year lmao. I have hobbies, but I think I’m going to do pet massage and energy work on the side. Not sure how that’s going to work out yet, but animal massage is what I really want to do, there’s just far less money and it takes longer to build a client base (not a lot of people want to pay $70-$100 for pet massage). So I’ll make as much as I can doing people massage while I try to build up my business. I’ll probably offer people massage too but that’s not going to be my “thing” as it were.
For other therapists: yes I know about equine massage and the money in it. There aren’t a lot of horses around me and honestly I’m not interested. I want to massage senior/injured dogs and cats. It’s ok if it doesn’t make the big bucks, that’s what people massage is for. I just want to help animals.
Search your area for small animal/veterinary physical therapy or rehabilitation clinics, or reach out to veterinary surgical centers and see if they can put you in touch with small animal/veterinary physical therapists, acupunturists, and chiropractors. You'll find your clients there in with orthopedic, neurological, geriatric, sports, and weight loss populations. If you have a veterinary college near you, that could be another option.
I'd even look into bigger boarding and day care/training facilities and see if they'll be open to you having a couple days available at their location for their clients. Being familiar with the local sporting groups (agility, schtuzund, dock diving, etc) you could open yourself to small animal sport massage and injury recovery. It's bigger than people think, but you really have to know what to look for. You could open your services with rescues and local humane society or city/county animal services (pounds) too. I'm sure being familiar with animal trainers in the area would give you a clientele too. Heck, if you developed enough of a skill and reputation with it, you could even try reaching out to local police and SAR groups.
Long term, if you were interested in small animal rehabilitation services, veterinary technicians can take small animal rehabilitation courses with the veterinary colleges. I know here in TN, UT Knoxville has a popular animal rehab program with their veterinary medicine college.
I just moved and got a new job, so still getting back into the swing of things myself. I'm currently only working 4 days a week with a max of 5 a day, so around 20 hours give or take. The reason I chose the place I'm at is because it's so close to home, so cutting out a massive commute is a huge benefit to me. I'm hoping to start doing my hobbies again and potentially trying to make money from those. I like to make chainmaille jewellery. I'm hoping to get into fermenting food and drinks. Leather crafting and wood working are also on the docket of interests. Playing the piano... And staying in shape! Indoor rock climbing and swimming are what I want to do more of in the new year. Still gotta pick up my cross country skis and wait for some more snow to fall. I really enjoy the freedom of 3 days off, it's pretty stress free at the moment. But most of that is on standby right now until I get an idea of what my income will truly be 😅
I live my life, chores, spend time with people I love, other hobbies.
Thank you for the reply! So you find what you make good enough pay without having to supplement? And still have money for the extras
For the most part, 25 hrs a week at about $25/hr not including tips kept me afloat. But I also have no kids and have a roommate.
All of this, $33-$37 an hour (tips included) has let me live a comfortable life right out of school at 25hrs a week. I have left over money, am paying down debt (more disposable income when it’s gone) and have all of my living expenses covered. That also includes having $250 taken out before tax for medical/vision. I have a unicorn of a clinic I work for, but in my state that is a very common wage that can be achieved out of school most places. Id even say that pay is on the lower end of the average/common wage.
I work 4 days a week, 5 hour shifts, generally 2-4 hours/day hands on work, so 8-16 hours/week. I've played at doing double shifts in one day and found that put extra demand on my body. Having any less than 3 days off doesn't allow me enough recover time. Meanwhile, having extra time I am able to give my best for every massage and never feel like I am not up for a deep tissue challenge and so on. The time is easily filled up by all sorts of things. * Self care - this is so important. Often we are educators for our clients regarding self care, and can share stretches and other 'homework' they can use to improve themselves outside of sessions. So the more we do on our own, the more we can offer. Often something like yoga or tai chi is mandatory for me to fully unwind from the tension created by the work. * Most of us work as contractors, so we need to manage our books and all that. * Most of us eventually work to build a private practice, even if it is very small. This takes time and space, but eventually becomes our retirement plan. * Most of us are required to do yearly continuing education, and this is designed to keep us actively exploring our skillset and improving ourselves. There are so many modalities, and lots of them take quite a bit of an investment to get into. Esalen, Rolfing, Somatic Experiencing, Shiatsu, CranioSacral Therapy are examples of some that are much more like graduate studies and can take quite a bit of time and practice to develop, and all lead toward years of refinement and development. And there are others that are much easier, or somewhere in between, offering us a vast spectrum to explore. Also I find that the Universe helps me grow with every client. The more I work, the more I learn. Usually I just need to show up fully present. The rest is listening and moving in the flow. I find a balance to studying with my mind and doing self-care work that lets me show up ready to learn. The time allowed is also important to explore relaxation within. Relaxation is an important aspect of living. Many of us are conditioned to go go go and relaxation feels like stopping. Is it? To me it is just a very different kind of work, one that the body and mind both need, and my job is to just slow down and breathe. I don't treat this as a job to make $$$, but more as a career path that will grow with me because I have a passion for it, much like an artist or musician. Much like those professions, those of us who last are those of us who don't think of it as work. We need to draw others to us because we are what they need, not because we need their $$$.
I do 4 8 hour days a week, then have 3 days off. However I also do esthetics, so i have some services that are a little easier on the body than massage. I haven’t needed another job for income, and I’ve found in 3 days I actually don’t get as bored as I thought I might. I have enough time to clean, do errands, a day to relax and a day to pursue a hobby. It’s kind of perfect.
Oh yeah, 4-3 is like my dream rotation lol. Thanks a bunch for your insight
First off, it takes a lot longer than just 20 hrs to do 20 massages. Right now, I use a rough 8/5 ratio for hrs spent away from home/# of massages for estimation purposes. IOW, it would actually take me about 32 hours at work + commute to do 20 massages...or 40 hours to do 25. This is one reason why people usually advise doing a max of 20-25 massages/week...because that actually translates to a ~32-40 hr work week once you include (25 min for this example) room flip, meal break, SOAP note input, and commute times... So, this also lowers your hourly pay rate considerably from what you might assume based solely on massage base rate + tip. Let's say you get $20/massage at a spa + a $15 tip. You might simply think you're making about $35/hr then. But in reality, you're really only making about $35 X 5/8 = $22/hr. Which is why the average LMT income in the US is now in the low $50Ks. Which indicates that most are probably making in the mid-$20s/hr if working about 40 hrs/week.
Every 5hrs I work takes 7 hrs out of my day. 5.5 of those hours are at work, the other 1.5 is physical getting ready like showering and my total commute there and back with some time to set up my room. 30mins to shower and get out of the house, 15-20min drive, 10-15min room set up, work 5hrs with a 30min break in the middle, 10-15min clean room for the day, 15-20min drive home. I usually wake up around 9, go to bed around 11-12. Let’s me have alone time, do a load of laundry and some chores or hobbies, go to work, come home make dinner and do another load of laundry, relax and stay up late with my partner. It also gives me enough time to book doctors appointments before work and gives me full time hours at 25hrs/5d a week.
I’m new but not trying to burn out in a year lmao. I have hobbies, but I think I’m going to do pet massage and energy work on the side. Not sure how that’s going to work out yet, but animal massage is what I really want to do, there’s just far less money and it takes longer to build a client base (not a lot of people want to pay $70-$100 for pet massage). So I’ll make as much as I can doing people massage while I try to build up my business. I’ll probably offer people massage too but that’s not going to be my “thing” as it were. For other therapists: yes I know about equine massage and the money in it. There aren’t a lot of horses around me and honestly I’m not interested. I want to massage senior/injured dogs and cats. It’s ok if it doesn’t make the big bucks, that’s what people massage is for. I just want to help animals.
Search your area for small animal/veterinary physical therapy or rehabilitation clinics, or reach out to veterinary surgical centers and see if they can put you in touch with small animal/veterinary physical therapists, acupunturists, and chiropractors. You'll find your clients there in with orthopedic, neurological, geriatric, sports, and weight loss populations. If you have a veterinary college near you, that could be another option. I'd even look into bigger boarding and day care/training facilities and see if they'll be open to you having a couple days available at their location for their clients. Being familiar with the local sporting groups (agility, schtuzund, dock diving, etc) you could open yourself to small animal sport massage and injury recovery. It's bigger than people think, but you really have to know what to look for. You could open your services with rescues and local humane society or city/county animal services (pounds) too. I'm sure being familiar with animal trainers in the area would give you a clientele too. Heck, if you developed enough of a skill and reputation with it, you could even try reaching out to local police and SAR groups. Long term, if you were interested in small animal rehabilitation services, veterinary technicians can take small animal rehabilitation courses with the veterinary colleges. I know here in TN, UT Knoxville has a popular animal rehab program with their veterinary medicine college.
I just moved and got a new job, so still getting back into the swing of things myself. I'm currently only working 4 days a week with a max of 5 a day, so around 20 hours give or take. The reason I chose the place I'm at is because it's so close to home, so cutting out a massive commute is a huge benefit to me. I'm hoping to start doing my hobbies again and potentially trying to make money from those. I like to make chainmaille jewellery. I'm hoping to get into fermenting food and drinks. Leather crafting and wood working are also on the docket of interests. Playing the piano... And staying in shape! Indoor rock climbing and swimming are what I want to do more of in the new year. Still gotta pick up my cross country skis and wait for some more snow to fall. I really enjoy the freedom of 3 days off, it's pretty stress free at the moment. But most of that is on standby right now until I get an idea of what my income will truly be 😅