| Spa Wellness Articles :: Spa/Wellness Career Stories :: Relieve Stress at Massage Schools |
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| Relieve Stress at Massage Schools |
| by Amanda Fornecker |
When you talk to Andrea Hirsekorn about her job, she speaks with great enthusiasm about health and wellness. A certified Pilates instructor and licensed massage therapist, she is assistant director at Spectral Journeys, a company involved with using the "Colorgized" method to heal the body. But she didn't always know she wanted to work with the body. Here's how an aspiring young student became a great spokesperson for personal well-being and what massage training at Massage Schools has done for her career.
Feeling Around For Her Profession
Hirsekorn, 25, attended Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) and earned her degree in communications and psychology. She completed many internships while in college and after graduation, she worked as a PR director in Sydney, Australia. But she didn't enjoy the long hours and soon began searching for a job. She started doing five-minute back massages in nightclubs and bars for a local company. "I really liked it," she recalls. "I didn't mind touching these people and giving them a massage."
She returned to the U.S to work in marketing, where she worked with big companies such as Coca-Cola and Nutella. But something was still missing. "I was burnt out with the long hours and unhealthy stress," she says. "I loved [New York City] but I wasn't passionate about the products because they didn't stand for what I believed in." For her, these values included health and wellness.
Massage Schools to Advance
About two years ago, Hirsekorn moved back to Florida and researched massage schools. She soon began her massage training at Palm Beach Community College (Lake Worth, FL). She now has her massage certification in Swedish massage and learned about many different styles while in massage training. Massage schools are important to give a proper background and experience in the field.
Hirsekorn also recommends a bachelor's degree to complement an education. She feels that it gave her the potential to be more business-minded. "A select group of people are succeeding," she says. She believes that her undergraduate study gave her a competitive edge in her field.
In massage schools, you'll get experience with the public and exposure to professionals in the field with guest speakers. Hirsekorn thinks she got great massage training, but thinks that programs at massage schools are too short. But like anything else, "What you put into it is what you will get out of it," she says.
Communication, Acceptance, Proactivity
There are various techniques in which one can specialize in at massage schools. But each massage is different for each client. Hirsekorn describes the work in her Massage Career as an "exchange of energy" between herself and her client. "Everyone on the table has their own issues," she says. "You can pick up on bad vibes sometimes." For this reason, Hirsekorn says that communication is vital to being successful in a massage career because if you don't talk to a client, you won't know what they want.
Since a massage therapist is likely to come across many different body types each day, Hirsekorn says, "Be open. You have to let go of judgment and you can't have a feeling of not wanting to touch a person." Otherwise, a massage career may not be for you.
Although it may be challenging to build a practice, one must take advantage of every resource available to them once out of massage schools. Hirsekorn advertises mainly by word of mouth; she does not have a Web site about her private practice. She suggests starting out by working for others at a spa or for an Acupuncture physician, joining a professional organization, and putting money into marketing. This way, you'll put the massage training you learned at massage schools into practice.
The Numbers Don't Lie
The job outlook appears to be really positive as the U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics (BLS) reports that the number of massage therapists will increase faster than the average by 2014. This is due to the increasing number of individuals going to get massages each year; the American Massage therapy Association (AMTA) estimates that there are 25 million more Americans getting massages, compared with 10 years ago. And the number will continue to increase with the amount of baby boomers seeking massage therapy to relieve their health problems, reports the AMTA. And those with massage certification will benefit the most. Massage therapists held 97,000 jobs in 2004 and the median hourly wage was $15.36, according to the BLS.
Advancement Beyond Massage Schools
In order to continue to get the most up-to-date information and training, Hirsekorn is required to complete a certain amount of massage CEUs (Continuing Education Units). There are a variety of classes that one can take to fulfill the requirements. The amount of massage CEUs necessary to complete is dependent upon that state in which you practice.
Hirsekorn plans to grow the "Colorgized Business" in the future by educating people about the positive effects the colored lights and affirmations can have on the body. And she does this by using her massage training to "heal the world one body at a time," she says. After all, "all we have is our health."
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