How to Hire a Massage Therapist

Why hire a massage therapist?

An efficient massage therapist helps increase loyal customers of a health clinic or spa, thus helping the company achieve its revenue and profit goals. They can also:

• Deliver specialized massage therapy for walk-in and scheduled patients 
• Consult with clients and suggest the massage most suited to their requirements and budgets
• Suggest personalized massage treatments based on a client’s health concerns or injuries

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance massage therapist

If your spa or health clinic offers infrequent massage therapy services, it may be better to build a relationship with a freelance massage therapist. Hiring freelance therapists only when there are massage therapy appointments may save your business money compared to hiring a full-time employee.

For large spas and health care clinics that have a consistently filled massage therapy schedule, it may be ideal to hire a full-time employee. Businesses that have enough work to justify a full-time employee save money on hourly pay and demand higher levels of accountability from their staff. 

What are the types of massage therapists?

There’s a variety of types of massage therapy, each designed to help clients with different problems. These include:

• Deep tissue massage therapy: This type of therapy is designed to treat issues in the muscles and joints. It can relieve pain that was caused by sports injuries and stiffness. 
• Prenatal massage therapy: Prenatal massage therapy is meant to help pregnant women relieve some of the pain associated with pregnancy. Due to the inherent risks, the therapy is not recommended for every pregnancy. 
• Swedish massage therapy: Swedish massages work to relax all the muscles in the body through gentle rubbing and strokes. 
• Hot stone massage therapy: During hot stone massage therapy, heated smooth stones are placed on clients’ bodies to relax tense and damaged muscles and soft tissue. 
• Shiatsu massage therapy: Shiatsu massage therapy is a type of Japanese massage that targets the body’s energy flow in order to heighten moods and relax the client. 

Where to find massage therapists

To find the right massage therapist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies: 

• Post help wanted signs. Hanging help wanted flyers can attract potential candidates who have the necessary qualifications. 
• Hire from within. Conduct interviews with your existing staff to see if there are any quality and interested candidates. Hiring from within can also be cheaper than hiring a new employee. 
• Build relationships with currently employed massage therapists. By maintaining relationships with massage therapists, you could generate leads to other therapists who may be looking for work. 
• Search online. Some unemployed massage therapists may be advertising themselves online. Search relevant sites for quality candidates. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your massage therapy job on Indeed to find and attract quality massage therapy candidates.

What are the types of massage therapists?

There’s a variety of types of massage therapy, each designed to help clients with different problems. These include:

• Deep tissue massage therapy: This type of therapy is designed to treat issues in the muscles and joints. It can relieve pain that was caused by sports injuries and stiffness. 
• Prenatal massage therapy: Prenatal massage therapy is meant to help pregnant women relieve some of the pain associated with pregnancy. Due to the inherent risks, the therapy is not recommended for every pregnancy. 
• Swedish massage therapy: Swedish massages work to relax all the muscles in the body through gentle rubbing and strokes. 
• Hot stone massage therapy: During hot stone massage therapy, heated smooth stones are placed on clients’ bodies to relax tense and damaged muscles and soft tissue. 
• Shiatsu massage therapy: Shiatsu massage therapy is a type of Japanese massage that targets the body’s energy flow in order to heighten moods and relax the client. 

Writing a massage therapist job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding quality massage therapist candidates. A massage therapist job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your massage therapist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on massage therapist jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Massage therapist
• Massage
• Massage therapy
• Licensed massage therapist
• Spa
• Esthetician
• Medical spa
• IMT
• Medical massage therapist

Interviewing massage therapist candidates

To hire a suitable massage therapist, take the time to vet candidates and ask detailed interview questions to understand their knowledge and skills.

• Proficiency in delivering massage therapy to clients
• Consulting with clients and suggesting suitable massage treatments
• How they’ve contributed to sales and profit goals of the company by actively working towards increasing revenue from existing clients

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of massage therapist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).