How To Become A Masseuse

If you are wondering how to become a travelling massage therapist, also known as a mobile masseuse (female) or mobile masseur (male), then you have landed on the right page to begin your journey! Read on to discover how long it can take, whether and which qualifications would help and how much you could earn. This article can help you decide whether a career in massage therapy as an outcall therapist could be good for you.

How Long It Takes

Learning how to massage is a bit like learning to cook. Most of us can do it without any training at all ... and some lucky people are born naturally better at massaging than others. Whether or not you have been blessed with 'magic hands', the great news is that all of us can improve our ability to massage with a little training and a lot of practice.

We have seen repeatedly that the most successful and satisfied mobile massage therapists are those who have a genuine passion for caring for others. They will have often simply enjoyed massaging friends and family for free, since they were young and even before any formal training.

We often receive applications to join our platform from therapists who tell us that massage has long been their only calling in life. These applicants often go on to become some of our busiest and most popular professionals. It is best to pursue a career in massage if you genuinely feel it is your true vocation in life. That way you will also be more likely to achieve other aspects of a successful career, such as high earnings and rewarding days.

Professional courses in massage can be as short as a single day (such as a beginners introduction to the basic techniques) to extensive all-round academic, physical and spiritual training which takes from several years to a complete lifetime (such as in Lomi Lomi massage). When searching for the best massage training course for you, it is important that you choose a course that is independently accredited by a reputable massage body as well as being insurable for mobile therapy.

Qualifications Needed To Become A Masseuse

Massage work is not legally regulated in the UK. You could therefore, work as a travelling massage therapist unlicensed and without any formal qualifications in the UK. However, regardless of legal requirements it is also important to remember that one of the main regulators of anyone following a career in massage will be their customers. If you do not perform treatments well, then you will simply not be busy or successful.

Various voluntary regulators of massage do exist in the UK, such as the Complimentary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Organisations such as these provide an excellent framework and guidance for working professionally as a complementary health specialist. So even though you will find that you are not legally required to obtain specific qualifications to become a masseuse, you will most probably be more successful in the long term if you obtain professional qualifications and register with one of these organisations.

The most important thing to remember is qualifications are not just academic. In fact, we believe, when it comes to massage therapy, stamped certificates are probably one of the least important aspects of your overall qualifications. A fully qualified masseuse is one who possesses not only a pile of training certificates but also many intangible skills (which we have called Personality Skills below) together with plenty of experience.

Personality Skills

Some of the most important personal skills that you should have if you want to work as a massage therapist are to be:

• Calm and reliable
   
• Kind natured and empathetic
   
• Comfortable touching other people’s bodies
   
• Happy to listen and adapt

And don’t forget that as a mobile masseuse you will be travelling lots! This will mean using lots of buses, trains and the underground if you will work in a big busy city like London. Or if you decide to work in more rural areas, then you will probably need to be able to drive. Some therapists even travel internationally, taking flights around the world to massage their famous regular clients better wherever they may happen to be!


 

Training Certificates

There are many educational organisations in the UK that offer accreditations for massage courses. Some of the most popular and well recognised are:

• CIBTAC
   
• City & Guilds
   
• ITEC
   
• VTCT

You can obtain certificates in massage from accredited training schools or colleges located all around the UK. Some of these schools now also offer remote learning online courses as well as traditional classroom attended training.

An alternative to attending a massage course at a training school or college is to get an apprenticeship with a working business such as a beauty salon or massage company.

How Much Does It Cost?

You can obtain professional qualifications in basic Swedish massage skills from as little as £99 for a one-day course in London. However, for more advanced training and to increase your chances of success as a masseuse, a more intensive course, covering techniques such as deep tissue massage or pregnancy massage is recommended. These advanced courses usually range from around £350 up to £1000, depending on the level and type of training.

When you begin working as a massage therapist, you may decide to be employed by a salon or to work as a freelance self-employed therapist. If you are self-employed, then you will have various other costs such as annual insurance (around £65 per year) and the cost of buying supplies to perform treatments such as massage oils, couches and candles.

How Much Does A Massage Therapist Earn?

The amount of money you can earn as a travelling massage therapist working in the UK depends on a number of factors, including your level of experience and whether you are working as an employee in a salon or running your own business as a self-employed therapist.

Junior therapists in salons in the UK typically earn around £12,000 - £15,000 per annum, rising to £18,000 for areas like London. A fully qualified masseuse who is trained in several popular types of massage therapy can expect to earn £25,000 - £35,000 as a manager in a salon.

Self-employed therapists generally earn significantly more, with some earning as much as £50,000 per year. However you will also have to manage the responsibility of ensuring you remain busy, stay healthy to avoid sick days and manage your own schedules. In London, a good self-employed massage therapist on our platform typically earns between £400 - £900 per week, depending on how many hours they are available.

If you love massage and want to improve your career by joining one of London’s most successful teams of independent freelance therapists, click HERE to submit your job application now.

Direct From A Travelling Massage Therapist

If you are interested in reading about what actual mobile massge thearpists think of their work, read what two of our most successful therapists have to say about their work and how they got into it. Just have a look under the Therapists tab seciton of this Blog or click here to read Orsi's story and here to read Hajni's.