Massage Therapy

Alternative Job Titles for Massage Therapists

• Bodywork Therapist
• Certified Massage Therapist (CMT)
• Clinical Massage Therapist
• Integrated Deep Tissue Massage Therapist
• Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP)
• Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
• Massage Therapist
• Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)
• Soft Tissue Specialist
• Therapeutic Massage Technician

Job Tasks and Activities for Massage Therapists

• Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
• Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
• Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
• Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
• Clean facilities or equipment.
• Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
• Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
• Consult with other health care professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians, and psychologists, to develop treatment plans for clients.
• Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
• Develop patient therapy programs.
• Interview patients to gather medical information.
• Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
• Maintain medical records.
• Maintain treatment records.
• Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
• Perform other adjunctive therapies or treatment techniques in addition to massage.
• Prepare and blend oils and apply the blends to clients' skin.
• Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
• Stock supplies or merchandise.
• Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
• Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being.

Interests for Massage Therapists

• Social
  Helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others.
• Realistic
  Designing, building, or repairing equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors.
• Investigative
  Studying and researching scientific subjects and human behavior.

Skills for Massage Therapists

In order of importance

• Speaking
  Talking to others.
  Importance: 66/100
• Active Listening
  Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
  Importance: 66/100
• Service Orientation
  Looking for ways to help people.
  Importance: 56/100
• Social Perceptiveness
  Understanding people's reactions.
  Importance: 56/100
• Judgment and Decision Making
  Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
  Importance: 53/100
• Complex Problem Solving
  Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
  Importance: 50/100
• Active Learning
  Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
  Importance: 50/100
• Monitoring
  Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
  Importance: 50/100
• Reading Comprehension
  Reading work-related information.
  Importance: 50/100
• Writing
  Writing things for co-workers or customers.
  Importance: 50/100
• Critical Thinking
  Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
  Importance: 50/100
• Time Management
  Managing your time and the time of other people.
  Importance: 47/100
• Learning Strategies
  Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
  Importance: 44/100
• Coordination
  Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
  Importance: 35/100
• Systems Evaluation
  Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
  Importance: 31/100
• Instructing
  Teaching people how to do something.
  Importance: 31/100
• Systems Analysis
  Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
  Importance: 28/100
• Negotiation
  Bringing people together to solve differences.
  Importance: 25/100
• Mathematics
  Using math to solve problems.
  Importance: 25/100
• Persuasion
  Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
  Importance: 25/100
• Management of Personnel Resources
  Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
  Importance: 19/100
• Technology Design
  Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
  Importance: 19/100
• Science
  Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
  Importance: 19/100
• Quality Control Analysis
  Testing how well a product or service works.
  Importance: 19/100
• Management of Material Resources
  Managing equipment and materials.
  Importance: 16/100
• Operations Analysis
  Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
  Importance: 16/100
• Operations Monitoring
  Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
  Importance: 10/100
• Troubleshooting
  Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
  Importance: 10/100
• Management of Financial Resources
  Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
  Importance: 10/100

Knowledge for Massage Therapists

In order of importance

• Customer and Personal Service
  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  Importance: 90/100
• Biology
  Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  Importance: 58/100
• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Importance: 58/100
• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  Importance: 57/100
• Medicine and Dentistry
  Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  Importance: 52/100
• Public Safety and Security
  Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  Importance: 50/100
• Sales and Marketing
  Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  Importance: 50/100
• Administration and Management
  Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  Importance: 43/100
• Administrative
  Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  Importance: 42/100
• Law and Government
  Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  Importance: 42/100
• Education and Training
  Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  Importance: 42/100
• Economics and Accounting
  Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  Importance: 41/100
• Therapy and Counseling
  Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  Importance: 41/100
• Sociology and Anthropology
  Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
  Importance: 38/100
• Communications and Media
  Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  Importance: 34/100
• Philosophy and Theology
  Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
  Importance: 28/100
• Personnel and Human Resources
  Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  Importance: 26/100
• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Importance: 23/100
• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Importance: 17/100
• Physics
  Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
  Importance: 16/100
• Chemistry
  Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
  Importance: 16/100
• Telecommunications
  Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  Importance: 15/100
• Engineering and Technology
  Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  Importance: 14/100
• Foreign Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
  Importance: 13/100
• Mechanical
  Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  Importance: 11/100
• Design
  Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  Importance: 6/100
• History and Archeology
  Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
  Importance: 6/100
• Building and Construction
  Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  Importance: 5/100
• Transportation
  Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  Importance: 5/100
• Production and Processing
  Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  Importance: 5/100
• Fine Arts
  Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
  Importance: 3/100
• Geography
  Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  Importance: 3/100

Physical Abilities for Massage Therapists

In order of importance

• Trunk Strength
  Using your lower back and stomach.
  Importance: 69/100
• Dynamic Strength
  Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
  Importance: 69/100
• Oral Expression
  Communicating by speaking.
  Importance: 66/100
• Oral Comprehension
  Listening and understanding what people say.
  Importance: 66/100
• Manual Dexterity
  Holding or moving items with your hands.
  Importance: 63/100
• Multilimb Coordination
  Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
  Importance: 60/100
• Problem Sensitivity
  Noticing when problems happen.
  Importance: 60/100
• Extent Flexibility
  Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  Importance: 56/100
• Selective Attention
  Paying attention to something without being distracted.
  Importance: 53/100
• Speech Clarity
  Speaking clearly.
  Importance: 53/100
• Written Comprehension
  Reading and understanding what is written.
  Importance: 53/100
• Stamina
  Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
  Importance: 53/100
• Written Expression
  Communicating by writing.
  Importance: 53/100
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  Keeping your arm or hand steady.
  Importance: 53/100
• Finger Dexterity
  Putting together small parts with your fingers.
  Importance: 53/100
• Deductive Reasoning
  Using rules to solve problems.
  Importance: 53/100
• Near Vision
  Seeing details up close.
  Importance: 50/100
• Static Strength
  Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
  Importance: 50/100
• Inductive Reasoning
  Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
  Importance: 50/100
• Speech Recognition
  Recognizing spoken words.
  Importance: 50/100
• Information Ordering
  Ordering or arranging things.
  Importance: 47/100
• Originality
  Creating new and original ideas.
  Importance: 44/100
• Category Flexibility
  Grouping things in different ways.
  Importance: 44/100
• Fluency of Ideas
  Coming up with lots of ideas.
  Importance: 44/100
• Time Sharing
  Doing two or more things at the same time.
  Importance: 31/100
• Flexibility of Closure
  Seeing hidden patterns.
  Importance: 31/100
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
  Importance: 31/100
• Far Vision
  Seeing details that are far away.
  Importance: 28/100
• Memorization
  Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
  Importance: 28/100
• Speed of Closure
  Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
  Importance: 28/100
• Perceptual Speed
  Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
  Importance: 25/100
• Mathematical Reasoning
  Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
  Importance: 25/100
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  Keeping your balance or staying upright.
  Importance: 25/100
• Control Precision
  Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
  Importance: 25/100
• Visualization
  Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
  Importance: 25/100
• Explosive Strength
  Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
  Importance: 22/100
• Dynamic Flexibility
  Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  Importance: 22/100
• Number Facility
  Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
  Importance: 22/100
• Depth Perception
  Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
  Importance: 22/100
• Gross Body Coordination
  Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
  Importance: 19/100
• Visual Color Discrimination
  Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
  Importance: 19/100
• Auditory Attention
  Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
  Importance: 16/100
• Hearing Sensitivity
  Telling the difference between sounds.
  Importance: 16/100
• Speed of Limb Movement
  Quickly moving your arms and legs.
  Importance: 13/100
• Spatial Orientation
  Knowing where things are around you.
  Importance: 6/100
• Response Orientation
  Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
  Importance: 6/100
• Reaction Time
  Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
  Importance: 3/100

Tools and Technology used by Massage Therapists

• Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
• Bath robes
• Desktop computers
• Electric vibrators for rehabilitation or therapy
• Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
• Hand or body lotion or oil
• Mats or platforms for rehabilitation or therapy
• Medical heat lamps
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
• Therapeutic heating or cooling units or systems
• Calendar and scheduling software
  • AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Manager
  • Scheduling software
• Medical software
  • ICS Software SammyUSA
  • Land Software Customer Pro-File
  • Massage Suite
  • WinCity Custom Software WinCity Massage SOAP Notes
• Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word
  • Word processing software

Employment Industries for Massage Therapists

• Personal care services
  47,200 employed
• Offices of all other health practitioners
  15,600 employed
• Offices of chiropractors
  10,400 employed
• Fitness and recreational sports centers
  3,400 employed