What You'll Do

  • Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
  • Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
  • Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
  • Maintain treatment records.
  • Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
  • Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
  • Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
  • Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary.
  • Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being.
  • Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.62/5
Speaking 3.62/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.25/5
Service Orientation 3.25/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.12/5
Reading Comprehension 3.0/5
Writing 3.0/5
Critical Thinking 3.0/5
Active Learning 3.0/5
Monitoring 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.0/5
Time Management 2.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Empathy, Cooperation, Dependability, Sincerity, Social Orientation

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Dynamic Strength 3.75/5
Trunk Strength 3.75/5
Oral Comprehension 3.62/5
Oral Expression 3.62/5
Manual Dexterity 3.5/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.38/5
Multilimb Coordination 3.38/5
Extent Flexibility 3.25/5

Technologies & Tools

AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Manager ICS Software SammyUSA Land Software Customer Pro-File Massage Suite Microsoft Excel Microsoft Word Scheduling software Spreadsheet software WinCity Custom Software WinCity Massage SOAP Notes Word processing software

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Empathy (High importance: 4.65/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.62/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.51/5)
  • Sincerity (High importance: 4.43/5)
  • Social Orientation (High importance: 4.33/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Bodywork Therapist Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) Clinical Massage Therapist Deep Tissue Massage Therapist Integrated Deep Tissue Massage Therapist Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP) Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) Massage Operator Massage Therapist Masseur Masseuse Massotherapist Mechanotherapist Medical Massage Therapist Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) Rolfer Skin Therapist Soft Tissue Specialist Spa Massage Therapist Swedish Masseuse Therapeutic Massage Technician

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.