Advice for Massage Therapy students

Prospective or current

Last updated: 10/03/25

Research all options: When looking at trade schools for massage therapy, research all the options in your area. Compare the prices, class hours, program durations, proximity, in house financing plans, loan options, if you can get it covered by a government grant, or use the GI Bill (veterans).
Self care: If you aren’t already doing these things, start. Hydrate, restorative yoga heart openers and hip openers with props, trade silicone cupping and assisted stretches with peers, weight training for shoulder posture, a walk or isometric exercises at least 4 days per week.
Manage energy transfer: There is usually some energy transfer while touching clients. Some massage therapists burn out early because they are accidentally absorbing energy (emotional and physical pain) from clients or putting their own vital energy into clients. Working with unseen energies is highly individual, you have to find what works for you. I use a mantra in my head, exhale any energies I took on during the session afterward, schedule long breaks between clients, and work side gigs to reduce how many massages I give per week.
Have an exit plan: Personally I think massage therapy is great as a stepping stone and a side job, to help heal yourself and others and develop more awareness and sensitivity. However, it is challenging energetically, physically, and emotionally. You can only work on one client at a time so that reduces your earning potential. Work on building other skills and passive income streams so you don’t get trapped working more hours than you want to in massage therapy. Some options are: investing, real estate, flip houses, flip cars, YouTube creator, UX design, marketing consultant, dropshipping, ecommerce, arbitrage, digital products like ebooks and ecourses.
Build up direct clients: Commit to living/working in the same area for a long time and start building up your direct clients as early as possible. I started in Austin then moved to San Antonio so I’ve had to rebuild from scratch, I recommend starting in a LCOL area and staying there. My strategies have been a WordPress website, Google Business page, VistaPrint cards and postcards, and NextDoor business page. I didn’t get many clients from poker chair massage (they just want their chair massages while gambling, not table massages), Yelp (their staff didn’t respect how I asked to be on their do not call list regarding buying ads), or Groupon (don’t do business with them they take 50% of each voucher and the clients are stingy).
Learn Eastern and tools modalities: Start learning Table Thai and Floor Thai early on with the help of your classmates or friends. I’ve found learning from picture books (Thai yoga massage instructional books) works better than YouTube and Udemy videos because in the videos they didn’t structure them well (all the Prone stretches should be next to each other, then all the Sidelying ones, all the Supine ones, all the Seated ones). You don’t need to spend $6000 on an in-person Thai massage course for 1-3 months. Just practice at home or at your receivers’ homes. For ashiatsu, I’ve found just stepping over the sheet or wearing clean socks is easy but using strokes directly on the client’s skin with oil is tiring. You can learn for free from coworkers at a Thai, Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese-owned spa with ashiatsu bars. I paid $800 for an in-person Ashiatsu course that lasted 3 days plus 20 60m practice sessions. I don’t use that style often these days, I recommend just learning the easier dry compressions style and combining it with Thai (Ashi-Thai). Silicone cupping takes 30 minutes to learn, watch YouTube videos. The percussion massage gun and gua sha are simple too.
Learn anatomy gradually: I like the Trail Guide To The Body flashcards for the muscles. You can learn just one muscle per day (area, origin, insertion, shape, function, palpate). To get started with massage therapy, all you have to know are the Areas Of Endangerment as the places to not apply pressure or suction cups. There isn’t a rush to become a Medical, Orthopedic, or Neuromuscular massage therapist, unless you absorb anatomy info really quickly or already memorized it for a prior job or degree (physical therapist, medical doctor, nurse, fitness trainer, biology, pre med).
Inner work and soft skills: Massage therapists can choose their approach on a spectrum from being very clinical to more relatable. Some like to be silent during sessions while others have conversations about life events, philosophy, projects. Personally I like to get to know my clients, but adapt to the client’s preferences. My “journey” with self healing, self awareness, and conversational skills has involved prioritizing honesty, authenticity, and balancing yin and yang. I got good results from nonlinear journaling on 18″ x 12″ sketchpads, dry erase boards, and speaking into a voice recorder device. Setting boundaries with clients regarding pressure and techniques is important. If a client wants more than your maximum pressure: let them know you’re at your max, offer Eastern modalities to use bodyweight or tools, say you can end the session, and/or refer them out to a stronger or heavier therapist.