How to Elevate your Career – Massage Therapist Edition

Whether you are working in a spa/massage studio, you are a mobile Therapist or you work with agencies who find you ad hoc work, there are so many different paths you can take to elevate your career, keep busy and build your massage business.

Gone are the days where we need to be solely working from a treatment room in a salon working for someone else, unless that’s what you love to do, even better if you have your own treatment room! The world is literally your oyster, and with more Massage Practitioners working for themselves than ever before how incredible is it that we can have complete control and be as flexible as we like.

So if you are feeling like your work life is a bit stagnant, you may be feeling demotivated or you are simply looking for ways to elevate your career and personal growth as a professional, then this blog post is for you!

Never stop learning

I think once you are qualified or have been massaging a long time its so easy to get stuck doing the same types of massage for long periods of time without exploring other techniques. If you are one of those people who likes to consistently add to your skill set, then go you! This is how we can keep our brains working, keep up to date with our ever changing industry whilst expanding your offering to your clients.

Its also good to re-train in certain areas to refresh our memories, there are so many courses available to us, long and short, where we can learn a new type of massage in one day, a number of weeks or months, whatever works for you. I personally love sending myself on courses to learn new techniques, meet other like minded Practitioners, and who doesn’t love a shiny new certificate! When was the last time you trained in a new Massage technique?

Keep it varied

My work as a Seated Acupressure Therapist means I am based in offices all over London, this to me keeps me excited and motivated as every single day is different. You may love being based in one place as it gives you stability or you might have your own treatment room which is amazing, however, have you ever thought of doing mobile massage in the evening where possible? Trying chair massage in an office? Or offering Massage at Holistic and Wellness fairs on the weekends? We can take Massage literally anywhere these days so why not try stepping out of your comfort zone and do what you love in a different environment, the beauty is…If you don’t enjoy it at least you have tried it!

With apps and everything being based online we can even get work from companies who use apps to book Practitioners, or companies who will get you ad hoc jobs, I find working with these companies amazing as you build relationships with these businesses’ and once you have worked with them a few times there may even be regular weekly work for you!

Become a member of a professional body for Massage Therapy

If you are self employed, you will need insurance, most massage and Beauty Insurance companies will offer you a plethora of membership benefits when you sign up! Even if you are not self employed it’s a great way to have access to support, community and to get ahead in the industry.

The FHT and Babtac are my two favourites for this, they are both incredibly trusted and offer marketing materials, advice, access to seminars and workshops, access to enter awards and much much more.

Most will also have a Therapist directory which will give you more clients, if you are not a member already what are you waiting for?

Enter the Massage Championships or Awards

This one is on my personal goal list. It’s a dream of mine to enter the Massage Championships, so here, today, I am holding myself accountable in this blog post, see you in October 2024? It goes without saying that if you are an award winning Therapist you are more likely to attract more clients/organisations to partner with. It gives potential clients a sense of trust in their Therapist and it’s a credit to the hard work and dedication you have put into your craft.

Not only is it another way to network at these Award events but it’s a great way to push yourself out of your comfort zone and elevate your career. There are also many awards to be won in our industry, for example, Babtac hold yearly award ceremonies for Therapists and businesses alike. Are you an award winning Therapist?

Network

I have definitely spoken about networking before as I feel its so important, inspiring and motivational to have a support network of Massage Practitioner friends. I have engaged with my network via social media, courses I have attended and meeting other Therapists at corporate offices on the job.

Becoming a member of a Massage Therapy body will also give you access to other people and events to attend. We can all learn so much from each other!

Teaching/Tutoring

Have you ever thought about how else you can inspire others and share your knowledge in Massage? Teaching is another fantastic string you can add to your ever growing bow. Companies who provide massage courses are always looking for Tutors, how fulfilling and rewarding would it be to be handing over those shiny certificates to your students?

A couple of Massage schools who offer courses and may need tutors are Gateway Workshops, School of natural Therapies and the London School or Massage. Do your research to find the nearest Massage school near you, you never know, you may be their newbie Tutor!

Social Media

We all know how much of an impact social media has on our business, but are we using it in the right way and are we using it consistently?

I gain a lot of new clients via Linkedin and Instagram, following the companies/potential clients you would love to partner with. Promoting your services regularly and engaging with your audience, these are all integral to building a brand people can relate to. I must admit, I do have social media breaks from time to time to recharge my social batteries, however if you are going to do this make sure you have a link to your email address and website in your bio so people can always reach you. Better still if you are not a marketing whizz why not hire someone to manage your social media for you!

My final thought on how to elevate your career as a Massage Therapist is to consistently push yourself out of your comfort zone. This personally can be tough for me as I’m an introvert at heart, however when I am in the moment, doing the thing that scares me, the overwhelming feeling of adrenaline, pride, inspiration and happiness in unwavering. If something scares you, its usually worth doing and if you feel the fear, do it anyway!

What will you do today to elevate yourself and step into your power?

About the Author

Phillipa Spivey, founder of Phillipa Spivey Therapies, is a Beauty and Massage Therapist with 19 years’ experience in the industry. With a passion for mental health in the workplace and taking care of people she started a small business offering Seated Acupressure Massage in corporate environments to combat Anxiety and Depression symptoms at work. Phillipa has extensive experience in Salons, Spas, Hotels and Aesthetic Clinics in London. Her goal since the very beginning has always been to spread love and light and to simply make people feel better physically and mentally.