Massage as a trade has grown since it's start decades, if not centuries ago.
Today many students and practitioners alike wonder if curriculum deficiencies, competitive markets, and corporate interests aren't creating market saturation, and deminishing returns on the work so personal and close to our hearts. Growing educational requirements and costs, a lack of business skills, training and knowledge, and the stretch marks of growth in some smaller communities have many practitioners wondering if they can create a sustainable income in the trade. So, what does this mean to current and would-be therapists?
The short answer is that massage is NOT going away.
The more likely scenario is a robust career for those that are willing to adapt, innovate, and grow.
Early adaptor businesses are already singing our song, and using massage as an inticement to peddle their wares. If massage can draw customers to buy more luxury hotel packages, trips to the dentist for a foot-massage, or add value to an employee benefit package (Google encourages emloyees with MT's and massage chairs throughout its facility) . . . certainly there's a value and demand for our work. The question is, what are you going to do about it?
Clues to the trail ahead call for creativity, passion and determination. One angle is to continue to build on what you've already started. Yet if a traditional practice doesn't appeal, take out your tools of innovation, adatability and stategic alliance. We've hardly rippled the surface of potential demand.
Niche specialization may become more important as consumers gain education and understanding about healthy body needs. Baby Boomer demands for better, alternative, and more preventative health care may tip the scales in our favor. Improved understanding of ergonomic work space, stress relief and self care management could send large and small companies back to the drawing board in order to offset lost labor due to repetitive strain injuries and improper posture issues. Greater demand for body education is best served by someone we trust . . . consulting, teaching classes, public speaking will all be options for therapists with the will and the passion to go on.
Doubt follows humans like a bad dream, and that's all our fears are. Don't think the sky is falling because someone threw a rock. Gather your faith, your vision, your massage lotion, and push, pull and tap on. There's plenty left to do . . . and we just started burning daylight!
Here's to your future.
Best of success!
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