The Future is in Your Hands

American Fitness, Jan, 1999 by Shel Horowitz

Massage therapy is one of the fastest growing career industries in the American service sector today. You can now get massages in health clubs, resorts, spas, storefront outlets, corporate offices, doctors' offices, therapists' offices, airports and malls. "Massage breaks could become as popular as coffee breaks," says Martin Ashley, author of Massage: A Career at Your Fingertips (Enterprise Publishing, $22). "Massage is becoming a popular way to ease stress and promote day-to-day emotional and physical health. Career and job opportunities are increasing steadily nationwide. For the first time, people can get a college degree in massage. Seven schools now offer Associate's, Bachelor's or even Master's degree in massage.

"Scientific studies showing the significant medical and health benefits of massage therapy are fueling the growth of the industry," Ashley says. "Massage has been shown to help a number of conditions, reduce the length of some hospital stays and overall costs of hospitalization." According to Ashley, 14% of Americans had a professional massage in the last year. Americans spend an estimated two to four billion dollars every year on massages.

More and more health plans now cover massage and the industry is growing steadily to meet the growing demand. Membership in the largest professional associations has been roughly doubling every three years and now exceeds 70,000. The number of massage training schools has increased at the same rate, from 190 schools in 1992 to nearly 600 in 1998. These schools train an estimated 25,000 new practitioners each year. "Massage is a very attractive part- or full-time career because it allows for flexible locations and hours, as well as a potential pay rate of $50 to $100 per hour," Ashley says.

"Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia now regulate the practice of massage, and over 31,000 massage therapists have taken and passed the certification exam. The increased regulation makes physician referral and insurance reimbursement more common," Ashley says. "Regulation has also helped make the profession respectable."

Ashley, an attorney who has also practiced massage since 1982, interviewed over 50 massage practitioners and educators from across the country to create the newly released third edition of Massage: A Career at Your Fingertips. The book is used as a textbook at many massage schools and has been translated into French. Designed as a complete standalone career manual, it covers everything from business basics to laws, schools, certifications, marketing and aromatherapy. For more information, call (914) 228-0312 or visit http://careerat yourfingertips.com.

Shel Horowitz is a freelance writer based in Hadley, Massachusetts.