What does it take to become a massage therapist?

I have one more year of high school left and have decided that after I finish HS, I'm going to study to be a massage therapist. Unfortunately this has been a very recent decision so I don't know everything about becomins a MT. My question is, what do I have to do after high school to become a lisenced MT and how long will it take? If it would help to know, I live in NV.





thxWhat does it take to become a massage therapist?
Schools for massage should be in your area. Most schools are based on the amount of hours you go, and follow a state law for hours. Every state differs for the amount of hours it is required to go. After graduation you will take a national exam for massage, its not too hard but it takes about 3 hours to complete. And then you take a state test, which is really easy, and then you are state and nationally licensed. You must have both to call yourself a massage therapist. Otherwise you are only a massage practioner. Every four years you also need to take continuing education hours to keep up your license. This can be expense, and some employers will help the cost...sometimes. Massage is a great career just make sure you go into it knowing all the facts. Its a very physical career, and you may not be able to do it for the rest of your life. A lot of people do it part time, so you will have to think about health benefits, 401K, vacation pay ect. Some places do offer these at 25 hours a week because this compares to a 40 hour work week. Make sure you investigate where you would like to work, example like a spa, chiropractor, or rehab center. All of these offer different things. A spa will be open late nights probably, and all holidays so you will have to work those. Get used to spending your weekends working in a spa, thats when the clients are there. A chiropractor will most likely offer a little bit more clinical work than spa treatments. I too went into massage school right out of high school, and school didnt really prepare me for the actual working world. In massage school I did one or two massages and that was it hard for me. Then I graduated and started to work at a spa which is fabulous for clientele, its always busy. But I was doing 7 hour shifts and doing 7 hour massages. I was dead from working. So really make sure you look into every job opportunity to make sure you do something that fits you. Its also very hard to start your own business right out of school, because you have no clients. and you will need money to start up your business. Well its a great career, you get to help people feel great, and best of luck to you in the future!!What does it take to become a massage therapist?
Every state has different requirements to becoming a licensed massage therapist. It can take between 1-3 years to become licensed, it all depends on which school you choose and what the requirements are in the state where you want to practice. Since you live in NV this site should be able to help you: www.massagetherapy.nv.gov

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