How To Become A Massage Therapist

Today we’re talking to our special guest, Jesi Jankowski about her experience starting a new career, and share the ins and outs of what it means to get into the Massage Therapy world.

How did you become a Massage Therapist, and when did you know that this was the right career for you?

— So actually it’s kind of odd, when I was a kid I used to massage my mom’s shoulders a lot and I was pretty good at it. By the time I was 10-12 years old she had gotten me some hot stones and a little book for massage and we would practice and stuff. I’ve always been very interested in that, and for me it was more of a relaxation type of thing; helping people feel good.

Life went on, and I worked in retail and I talked to a few people there that told me that I should go to school and open up a spa together. This sparked my interest again, but nothing really came of it. Unfortunately, I went through a divorce but it brought in a great opportunity to actually be able to pay to go to school.

One of the big reasons I wanted to do the school is because I wanted to be able to have my own business to have the flexibility to still be able to be around for my two children as a single mom.

I had a very good support system that could help while I was in school. I had talked to my ex husband about going back to work since I was a stay at home mom, that was our agreement and I wanted to be there for the kids. It was something that I was really interested in, I had done research about flexibility, how much you can make, the cost of school etc.

I applied to school not once but twice, went in for the third application and got in. It was a little bit of a back and forth, it was probably a good three years before I actually started school.

What do those requirements look like?

— So I know every state is different, wherever you are you kind of have to look and see what the requirements are. New York State where I am its over a thousand hours of actual class time. I think it’s almost eleven-hundred right now. Every year they add stuff and take stuff out, but you have to physically be in class and half of that has to be hands on. So the amount of time that you put in is taking about two years of full time courses. They do have options of part-time, I also know that there are college courses where you actually get a degree along with your certification.

We have to take Anatomy & Physiology, we have to take Neurology, you have to learn about all the muscles so three months of upper body, three months of lower body — there’s about six months on Pathology. We have knowledge of Shiatsu which is more of an energy type of work.

I imagine that gives you a better approach — having that Eastern & Western background?

— Yes. We do learn in Pathology about different types of medications — like the difference between a Tylenol and an Aspirin and what works better for what. Along with al the different types of massage, there’s not only the Shiatsu, but your classic Swedish massage, sports massages etc. There’s a ton of different modalities!

They broke up our school into four different sections, and your first few months is just learning your basic Swedish massage, and then you get into all of the different smaller modalities. From maternity massage, sports, energy work. We learn about Chakras and how to balance them, about essential oils and how to use them, how to do hot stone massages, cupping.

One thing that I really liked about my school is that they had a business section. We have to learn about ethics in business. So we weren’t thrown out there having no clue on how to start a business, we knew what we would be getting into. Wether you work for somebody or yourself, which to me was a huge thing.

How long was the whole program?

— So the program that I did was a year-long program, it was very intensive. So not only was it the actual classroom work, we have to write papers every singe class that we do. You also have to do 80 hours of clinic work which was all hands on work. You have to do 20 hours of community service that has to do with massage, so most of my community service was doing chair massages at local fair’s, malls, or at other potential students looking at joining the program at the school.

When I averaged out all of the work I did throughout that year, it was about 30-35 hours a week.

How did you do it? Were you working full-time? Did you have loans?

— With my divorce I was fortunate enough to be able to support myself with only working a few days a week. I had a cleaning job, I worked for a professional cleaning company maybe 8 hours a week. My grandmother also helped out a lot, especially with the kids. She would come over and make sure they would get on the bus and was home when they were out etc.

What was the cost for the program?

— I believe in total it was about $20,000 for the full-time program. That’s pending that you pass everything. If you didn’t pass something you had to retake it when the class came back up. That cost includes uniforms, books etc. New York State offers federal grants, so much of us were able to get some sort of help for school too.

What does a typical day look like?

— I want to say it’s really not that hard. Let’s say my typical Tuesday, I have a morning client. I’m fortunate enough to have a room in my house that I can massage out of, I also do have an office in case I don’t want strangers in my house. You get up, make sure you’re there about 15-20 minutes early depending on your much set up you have. I always make sure that I’m set up before, make sure you have clean sheets on the bed, a warmer especially up here in the Winter. Make sure its warm, comfortable, it’s relaxing and clean.

In New York State we are actually held to the same standards as any other medical profession. We’re considered actual medical professionals here. Especially now with everything going on, you have to make sure you have hand sanitizers, masks if anyone wants one, make sure everything is very sterilized.

Once you have the set up done, the client comes in and usually the first 5-10 minutes we have a conversation especially if it’s a new client you have them fill out some forms to get the background of why they’re getting a massage. Then you step out of the room, have them change and make sure that they’re nice and comfortable.

When the massage is finished I like to check in see how they’re feeling. Always make sure that during the massage I’m asking how the pressure is, if it’s too hard and to let me know. Once I’m done, I take the sheets off, clean up, and get ready for the next client.

What has been one of your favorite moments on the job?

— I would have to say probably the most rewarding moment on the job was when I had a client come in and she had been seeing a physical therapist. Because of the insurance she had, it didn’t cover massage and her shoulder was just in so much pain she could barely lift her arm. I did maybe 15-20 minutes of work on her I didn’t even do a full half-hour, and she got off the table and said ‘Oh my gosh, I can move my arm! Look what I can do!’ and she showed me. It was very rewarding knowing that I was able to help her that much in just that short amount of time.

One of your least favorites?

— Besides paperwork, it’s hygiene. Luckily, I haven’t had anybody that I wouldn’t massage because it was very bad, but sometimes body odors. As a Massage Therapist I’m always very conscious of myself too. Sometimes I feel like I have to go freshen up too!

What should someone expect to make starting out as a Massage Therapist?

— It all depends on the area. In Buffalo, the average massage on the low end is $60-65/hr up until $85-90/hr. 40 hours a week will kill you, this is a very physical job. There are tax write-offs too so you have to keep track of all that stuff. A lot of it just depends on how much you want to work.

I get to work for myself, have a flexible schedule, I get all the money — there’s a lot of different factors to make it work for you. It kept me going and having my own business really made sense for me.

Any advice for anyone thinking about becoming a Massage Therapist?

— Some things to keep in mind — look at your State’s requirements, do you have the time to put into the program? It is very mentally intense and the job is very physically demanding even though it wouldn’t seem like it. You have to make sure you do a lot of self care! You have to be OK with paperwork, you don’t have to be great with it but stay organized.

You get clients by good word of mouth — referrals, referrals, referrals! The best Massage Therapists are the ones with repeat clients and that means having a personal connection with them, and actually truly being interested in helping them.