Pacing Yourself to Ensure a Long Career in Massage Therapy

At Hands Free Massage Training, we (Darien and Leora) are pretty obsessed with working wisely to extend careers of massage therapists. We therefore put a strong emphasis on self-care. In previous blog posts we have discussed the importance of warming up and winding down, offered thoughts about ways to look after yourself and the importance of setting up a selfcare programme.

Since massage therapy is physically demanding, taking care of your body is crucial to ensure a long and healthy career. 

There are 2 main aspects of your working life to focus on for this; working wisely and pacing yourself.

Firstly, it’s important to learn to use your hands, arms and body well and effectively, in order to preserve your hands, especially your vulnerable thumbs and wrists. Equally important is safeguarding your shoulders and back. These are all areas most commonly strained by massage.

It is crucial to receive good training in Hands Free Massage, from experienced tutors, to help you learn how to save your hands and protect your body. When performed well, HFM helps you to use your forearms and elbows safely, with minimum effort and to maximum effect. 

Secondly, it’s essential to structure your treatment sessions and work environment to prevent overload and burnout. So let's focus on that now…

Pacing yourself during and between massage treatments

Massage therapists often feel the pressure to push themselves to the limit with every treatment. While this might be manageable when you're younger, consistently overexerting yourself can lead to long-term damage. It’s just not sustainable - it’s a recipe for burnout. And it makes it harder to maintain a healthy, long-term career.

Instead, you could approach doing a full day’s massage work like running a marathon(not a 100-metre dash). You need to pace yourself in each sessionand through each day so that:

- you’ve got the equivalent energy for each client, and you can give the last client of the day as good a treatment as you gave the first

- you don’t end up completely exhausted at the end of every working day (rather than just somewhat tired, as you would expect from doing a good day’s physical activity)

- or so tired by the end of a working week that you need down-time just to recover. That means there is no time for you and yourlife!

Organising your work environment 

Look at the bigger picture of your working life. Depending on your control over your work situation, try to organise: 

- how many massages you can comfortably do in a day, and over your working week 

- have regular breaks to replenish yourself - during the working day, the working week, and throughout the year

- try to have at least 15 minute windows between clients

- spread your most physically demanding clients throughout your working week, rather than scheduling them back-to back on a single day

- know when to refer clients on if they want more pressure, if you cannot deliver it with ease. There’s no shame in referring clients to other practitioners. In fact, it’s the professional thing to do. It’s a win-win because they will get the treatment they are seeking and you won’t damage yourself trying to give them something you cannot. 

- reduce your work-load at stressful times in your life, when you are in recovery from strains or injuries, and also as you get older.

By prioritising ‘pacing’ and self-care, you can build a sustainable and fulfilling career as a massage therapist. Remember, working wisely isn’t just about protecting your body—it’s about ensuring you can continue to provide high-quality care to your clients for years to come.

By managing your workload, using effective techniques like Hands Free Massage, and setting realistic limits, you’ll not only extend your career but also keep your wellbeing top of mind. 

Take the time to assess your work habits and make adjustments where needed—your body (and your clients) will thank you!

We hope that you find these suggestions help you to look at your working life, and work out how to apply them as much as you can to sustain your career.

This article is adapted from the book Foundations of Hands Free Massage by Darien Pritchard to be published in 2025.

Diary photo by Noemí Jiménez on Unsplash

About the Authors

Darien Pritchard from Dynamic Massage and Hands Free Massage Training, has been a massage trainer since 1982, and has served on the General Council for Massage Therapy (UK). He wrote the career-maintenance book Dynamic Bodyuse for Effective Strain-Free Massage (2008), and the student text Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology for Massage (2nd ed, 2023). For three decades, Darien has pioneered a focus on how massage practitioners can protect their hands and body whilst using them most effectively, including developing Hands Free Massage - the skilful, sensitive use of the forearm and elbow to save the hands.

Leora Sharp from Hands Free Massage Training, has been a massage practitioner since 2008 and very early on in her career, realised the importance of needing to work as Hands Free as possible. To that end, in 2009 she trained with Darien and was so blown away with Hands Free Massage, that she offered to assist him on his 8 Day Advanced training. Her role slowly transformed into co-teacher and she then started teaching solo in 2016. She is continually bold over how amazing HFM is and the benefits it brings to practitioners to sustain their careers. Alongside teaching HFM, Leora has a private practice at Neal’s Yard in Bath and designs websites for complementary health professionals.