Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

[Ask and Answer]

I recently came across an artilcle on Forbes.com which listed the top 5 highest paying low stress jobs. Massage is 4th on the list. I assume the researcher received lots of massages and thought mmm - this is a good money spinning job. Of course these figures don't into account the additonal costs involved with the running of the business. I am my calmest when giving a massage but the business side and the financial uncertainty of self-employment can be qutie stressful. I understand from reading on here that some massage schools give students unrealistic expectatations of how much they can earn once they qualify.

When I worked in a spa many clients would say - "wow you must be so relaxed at the end of the day?", I would reply, "The experience is different for both of us!!" I couldn't tell them that doing at least 8 people a day back to back was extremely tiring and that at the end of a shift I was too exhausted to do anything but sleep when I got home.

I do believe that it is possilbe to earn a decent living from massage even though I am not there myself yet.

Here's a section from the article.

* Massage Therapist
Massage therapy is an extremely low-pressure, relaxing career for most people. (As long as the thought of touching a stranger's back doesn't drive your stress level through the roof, of course.) Not only are most massage therapists self employed, but they also get to smell smoothing aromatherapy scents and listen to calming background music or ocean sounds all day while they work.

Because many massage therapists work part-time, yearly salaries vary wildly in this field. However, most of these massaging masters charge by the hour. On average, they earn between $10-35 an hour.

Of course, if you take on plenty of clients, you could easily earn a salary of $45,000 or more. That kind of cash will certainly not rub you the wrong way.

Link to the full artilce
http://bit.ly/crlQfo

 

[beckerman2013]

Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

Lol! Soothing aromatherapy! The aromatherapy is suited for the client, not ourselves. I shudder whenever anyone asks for ylang ylang or eucalyptus as I can't stand the smell of them!

And 'you can make plenty more than that if your willing to take on more clients..' Like you've got these people lining up for you and you just say 'sorry, no more today please' Somedays it feels like a dig at an archeological site to find clients!

Obviously the 'research' on that article was superficial at best, if not completely forgone. Amusing though to see what the outside world thinks of our profession.

 

[~vanilla~]

Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

Terrible article. Some of the other professions listed, such as physical therapist, also don't deserve to be on that list. Puff pieces like that are annoying because they mislead readers to wrong conclusions and misinformed perceptions. That makes it much harder for us to communicate the truth to the public in a meaningful way.

 

[Moosa .]

Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

Obviously the 'research' on that article was superficial at best, if not completely forgone. Amusing though to see what the outside world thinks of our profession.

I don't think they did any research. :roll:
People are always saying to me how lucky my husband is, "he must get massages ALL the time." : Yeah, I come home from work and massage him, and he fixes the house!

 

[Brother Jonathan]

Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

Things that make ya go... hmmmmmmmm..... t017

 

[Dotbo1978]

Massage - Forbes top 5 highest paying low stress jobs

I will say my job is pretty stress free but because I can compare how I felt at my other 2 jobs, compared to now. I worked for 17 years at a hospital, on the switchboard/physician's answering service. When I left, I'd been supervisor for several years. I had a staff of 21 women at two different hospitals, plus 3 auxilary Telcom engineers. It was a never ending battle, keeping 21 women happy, trying to keep the board staffed (interviewees always assured me they were happy to work nights/weekends/holidays until they actually had to do it), scheduling two different hospital boards 24/7, trying to keep doctors and their patients happy, dealing with nurses who wanted us to page the doctors and doctors who wanted calls to go to their office during the day, departments who thought we'd be only too happy to handle their on calls...I loved the people I worked with (they were an awesome bunch) and I really liked my job. But I didn't realize how stressful it was until I was gone. It seemed like I was always working against a deadline, with too many hours to cover and never enough staff or budget.

Then I worked for two family physicians I'd known and they were the most wonderful doctors and great to work for. But the practice manager made her her job to make everyone around her as miserable as possible. She was - and still is - the reason for their high turnover in every area. I could do nothing right no matter how much I did (when I left, they parceled out my work amongst 3 people as my replacement couldn't do it all). There were nights I cried on the way home because I hated it so much and I couldn't quit til I found something else. The day I signed up for massage school and gave my notice, I felt a thousand pounds lighter. My coworkers were waiting for me in the parking lot and they knew I'd quit by the way I looked. That night at home my sons asked what had happened because I was acting totally different than I had in a long time. Energized. Happy.

So in comparison, my work now is a breeze. I gladly accepted the weeks of little pay after 40 hours, the student loans, the occasional PITB client, the long hours and exhaustion some days when I get home. Because it's a different kind of tired, a happy tired, knowing I've made someone feel better, knowing I'm appreciated for my hard work, spending time at the shop with people I love (coworkers) who would do anything for me. No contest.