Interested in pursuing a massage therapy career? Get advice from an experienced massage professional. Leslie Lee of Atasia Spa has been a licensed massage therapist for over 8 years now. Her success has led her to the position of Spa Director at Atasia Spa in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Leslie is also a Reiki Master and teaches Reiki classes at the spa.

Read our exclusive interview with Leslie about her massage therapy career below:

Leslie Lee, LMT, Spa Director and Reiki Master

1) What made you decide to become a Massage Therapist?

“I started receiving Therapeutic Massage and Reiki Treatments at the age of 16. The benefits that I received physically and emotionally were life changing. With guidance from my aunt at 18 years old, I decided to start a career in Holistic Healing and enrolled in Massage School. I wanted to help others heal the way I had been healed.”

2) What advice do you have for recent graduates?

“Take the National Certification Test as soon as you get out of school! The longer you wait, the harder it is! Also, to remember that you never stop learning. Be humble, listen to your intuition, and be open to learning new techniques.”

3) Looking back on your massage therapy career, what would you have done differently?

“I didn’t know how important it was to take care of myself. I was used to giving and I forgot how important receiving was. My motto now is ‘You have to heal yourself, before you can heal others.’”

4) What is one thing that has really made your career take off?

“I have worked at Atasia Spa for 8 years as an LMT but have only been the Spa Director for just a little over a year. Social media has helped! My boss has created an incredible place and he offers a massage that has brought clients back again and again. His consistency, his drive, and his dream that is now a reality is why Atasia Spa is what it is.”

5) What keeps your clients coming back?

“I believe my clients come back because the service I provide makes them feel good. My goal is to help them heal from the inside out. I love what I do and do what I love and I think that shows with every stoke I make.”

About Leslie

Leslie Lee of Atasia Spa is an LMT, Spa Director, and Reiki Master. You can learn more about Leslie at www.atasiaspa.com or www.reikibyleslie.com.

Being her own boss and setting her own schedule were two of the major draws to massage therapy for Tamar Kummel. Yet she hasn’t restricted her practice to just massage. She’s allowed herself to follow her own heart in the process.

Read more in our exclusive interview with Tamar below.

Tamar Kummel

1) What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“At 25, I needed a new career focus. I wanted something where I was making a contribution every day. Making people happy, healthy, educating them. I needed something related to my interests that would be fun and challenging, and that I could be my own boss, and set my own schedule. It was then about 6 months of my looking at all the things I was interested in, knew about, studied, traveled, and eventually combining as much as possible into one type of practice. I had a theater background. In theater or chorus, group warm ups very often start with a 5 minute massage, so I was used to it. After being injured many times, massage became one of my usual therapies to hold me together.”

2) What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“So many things! 1) Follow what you love. Focus on why you got into the business. Some people are drawn to healthcare, some to sports massage, some to travel industry. Massage had so many work options. You have to find where you are happy. 2) Keep track of your classmates and co-workers! Start your own referral network because that’s how we get work. 3) Trade massage often! It’s so important to practice what you preach, take care of yourself, and experience different massages. It’s so easy to get out of touch or forget how vulnerable our clients are. It’s vitally important to remind ourselves. 4) Keep really good notes on your clients and your accounts. This is an independent contractor type of business, and no one is getting paid ON the day. So you better keep track of who owes you what, because no one else will! 5) If you think you might practice in another state someday, or want to add personal training certificates, do it as soon as possible. A lot of your medical knowledge will slip away if it’s not used. So take other exams while the information is fresh.”

3) Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“After school, I started working at a chiropractor’s office, just to get to touch a lot of people for practice. But I hated working there and I stayed for a year and a half. I wouldn’t waste a minute of doing a job I hated ever again.”

4) What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“Just staying proactive, meeting other massage therapists, keeping in touch with clients (and creating incentives for referrals).”

5) What keeps your clients coming back?

“Hopefully, the good massage! I also keep my rates competitive. I create price packages, referral incentives, and reminder emails. Also, face time is important. If you have clients that you know from a group setting, then it’s worth it to return to that group periodically so they SEE you. I find just being there is the best reminder.

“I also hope that my business is special. I’ve worked hard to pay attention to detail so my clients feel safe, taken care of, comfortable. I want the whole experience to be like a hug for their soul. I have a photo on my wall of a sleeping kitten in a tiny hammock. That’s my reminder and goal for every client. To feel secure, safe, relaxed, and loved. They can leave their problems with me instead of taking them with them when they go.”

Tamar Kummel

About Tamar

Tamar Kummel is the owner of Healing with Touch. She is a New York State licensed, Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Neuromuscular Therapist, California licensed Massage Therapist and ACE certified personal trainer. Tamar studied massage all over the world and then graduated from the prestigious Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy in New York, where she continued as an assistant teacher for 2 years.

Besides receiving her certificate in Sports Massage, and becoming a Reiki Master Teacher, she has also done massage on athletes at 3 Olympics (2002 Salt Lake, 2004 Athens, 2012 London), the 2002 and 2009 Iron Man Triathlon in Lake Placid, NY., and the US Open Tennis tournament. Tamar is also an accomplished actress and writer.

This month’s massage therapist profile features Linnea Phillis. Linnea has been an LMT for the State of Oregon since 2009 and an LMP for the state of Washington since 2010. She graduated from Everest Institute in 2009 with a 4.0.

Linnea Phillis, LMT

1. What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“Massage is always something I was told I was good at and something I always enjoyed doing. I decided to make it a career and take it beyond a hobby when I realized that I could.”

2. What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“Be brave and get out there and take that first job. Employers want experience, and you need to get as much of it as you can. Also be teachable. You will soon realize massage is an ongoing learning process, and regardless of how good you are, there is always a lot to learn.”

3. Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“Nothing. It was always a learning process and I love and have loved every minute of it.”

4. What is one thing that really made your business take off?

“Nothing just yet, I have been an employee for many years now and like the advantage of not having to worry about marketing or anything.”

5. What keeps your clients coming back?

“The fact that I am good at what I do is important, but what truly keeps my clients returning to see me is the fact that I am willing and available to work when others are not.”

Carl McMillan, owner of Becoming Whole Wellness

The key to success is offering a level of service that clients can’t find elsewhere. That’s what Carl McMillan discovered when he started his massage and wellness business in Durham, North Carolina. Read more about Carl’s story in our exclusive interview below.

1. Tell us about your business.

“I started my business, Becoming Whole Wellness, to eventually become a wellness center that integrates different healing methods. If a client had some issue they were working on, we could provide a variety of options to work with them, and even combine and collaborate on treatment methods. Currently, we offer Massage Therapy from 4 therapists, Acupuncture, and Fitness/Training programs. I am a licensed massage therapist and control the way the business works.”

2. What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I’ve been interested in massage since my sister was in dance when we were young children. I learned that touch and soft tissue manipulation were very helpful to my sister’s sore feet. Over time, friends and family realized I had a natural touch that they found helpful to their shoulders too. I would go around the table at family reunions giving everyone shoulder rubs and they really enjoyed it. I found massage to be a better way to show love and interact with my extended family than any other way. We didn’t have to talk, just enjoy a little relaxation.

“Later in high school I learned how to address athletic injuries and issues like cramping and soreness. I learned how to work on a sprain to improve recovery and what not to work on (like a strained muscle or inflammation). I never thought of massage as a career, but I was interested in becoming a doctor or physical therapist. However, life had me go down a different path for several years. However, after a successful career in I.T., I have been able to come back to my true passion of healing through touch.”

Treatment room at Becoming Whole Wellness

3. What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“I would rather advise someone to choose a school that has a good reputation, is COMTA certified, and that they agree with the principles of the school. Massage is personal; so should the school choice [be]. If you’re young and just starting out, I’m not sure what to tell you because you’re going to change so much that advice now isn’t going to matter a year from now.

“My general advice would be to start working for a company rather than working on your own. As long as you’re allowed to hone your skills and develop your style, that will help you build clients. If you are shoe-horned into a type of massage, or there are a lot of restrictions, it will not help you much in your career as an MT. Working for a company lets you be free to work on yourself, without having the full-time job of starting and maintaining a business.

“If you start out in business for yourself, running a group deal will net you a lot of clients—a lot of deal-shopping clients that you likely never see again. After the group company takes their half of your half-off offer, you will make as much (or less) as you would’ve had you worked for a company. Out of 700 group deals we sold, 450 showed up and we retained about 70 regular clients.”

4. Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“For me, I would’ve done more work on marketing and SEO tasks. The web has changed a lot over the past few years. You really have to pay attention to what companies are offering. Most are not worth what they’re asking… and I really mean most. Take an SEO class instead. I wish I had.”

5. What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“People come back to us because we offer a consistent level of service with an appropriate atmosphere. We offer a very customized massage. We work on the whole person, including what’s causing stress and how it shows up in their body. We integrate and create awareness within people. We have a lot of tools and have a lot to offer. That news spreads through word of mouth, and with reviews on the web. I use Google Reviews mainly. Yelp hides all the reviews because their software doesn’t believe we’re that good. That’s their explanation. I don’t ask for Yelp reviews anymore.”

6. What keeps your clients coming back?

“Massage sessions vary from visit to visit quite a bit depending on what the person is intending for themselves. All of that together combines for an experience certain clients really like. It’s hard to find a therapist like me or any of the other therapists we have. Our clients come back because they can’t get this kind of massage from anyone else in the area. They also come back because we offer a safe and trustworthy environment.”

About Carl

Carl McMillan is a licensed massage and bodywork therapist and the owner of Becoming Whole Wellness. He received his education from the Body Therapy Institute and is passionate about integrating somatic and Hakomi principles into his bodywork practice. Learn more at BecomingWholeWellness.com.

Emily Matweow

Emily Matweow is a cranio sacral therapist who believes all things are possible. That belief has transformed her practice into what it is today—an insightful encounter with healing and reawakening that embraces the full potential of each client.

Emily shares how her practice and life experience has evolved in the exclusive interview with OneTouch Massage below.

What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I practice Cranio Sacral Therapy – the “light touch” modality. After a high speed collision with a bull moose, I was treated by a Cranio Sacral Therapist for over a year to help me recover from the impact trauma I had sustained. My therapist inspired me to take a class, and during my first course I felt so “at home” as a healer [that] I left my career as a computer project manager.”

What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“The best thing I did once I completed my training and began working with clients was to set the intention – literally make the request of the universe – that I attract those clients who needed and would benefit from what I could do and who would accept my work.”

Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“Looking back at my start in cranio sacral therapy, it would have been very beneficial for me to have been much more proactive in aligning myself with chiropractors both the conventional and NUCCA practitioners.”

What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“The one thing that really made my business take off was adding (a) non-bodywork modality(ies) to my skill set. This significantly augmented the results my clients received from my treatments.”

What keeps your clients coming back?

“My clients continue to return because I treat the full range of things that their lives present, that is, they may receive everything from a feel-good treatment to a release of trauma(s) a clearing of things that interfere with their bodies’ healing or insights into how to travel a smoother easier life path.”

About Emily

When the Fairy Godmother said to Cinderella, “Impossible things are happening every day.” she was speaking a universal truth – a truth that Emily Matweow lives everyday as she facilitates profound healing with individuals, and performance enhancing re-awakenings with businesses. By her own example, the founder of Maverick Medicine and author of “The IN Club – Consciously Evolving Your INtuition” has shown us how to reach the place where all things are possible…where becoming the best you were designed to be means letting go and embodying the everyday magic that is already in you. Learn more about Emily and her work at www.emily.org.

Patti Coughlin, MS, LMT - owner of True Face & Body

Like many other massage therapists, Patti Coughlin was drawn into the field of massage therapy through receiving her first massage—albeit, reluctantly. That first massage was the catalyst that fueled her career in bodywork and her ambition to manage a successful spa in southern California.

Patti shared with us some of the lessons she learned along the way in our interview below.

1) What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I received my first massage ‘kicking and screaming.’ A friend of mine was starting massage school and she had asked me to be her subject. I was not really interested in massage but I conceded with the disclaimer that it was a one time only thing. Little did I know, that massage would change my life. Having left my career as a cardiovascular clinical research specialist, I had been in search of a more peaceful and flexible way to work. When the massage was over, I was so intrigued, I signed up for class on the spot. Almost 13 years later, I feel a sense of gratitude every time I work. Massage reconnected me with my true potential.”

2) What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“Get quiet when you’re working. Massage is both intuitive and interactive and your clients will only tell you so much verbally. Their bodies, their posture and their energy will tell you more. It is our job to listen.”

3) Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“Taken the time to find out what it takes to start a business in the city that [I wished] to practice in. I was so excited to start school but I didn’t know that at the time (2000), the pocket of the city that I lived and wanted to work in required 1000 hours of education while all the surrounding areas were much less. I really enjoy school and was able to work and attain the hours I needed over a two year period but this kept me on a really tight budget for longer than expected.”

4) What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“Early on, I met the owner of an organic skincare company and immersed myself in learning about the emerging natural products industry. I did trade shows and learned about the lack of regulation in the skin care industry in the US. I decided to only use organic products in my practice and pass what I had learned on to my clients. It makes me smile when someone will text me saying they’re in the store trying to decide what shampoo to buy and want my help decoding the ingredients label.”

5) What keeps your clients coming back?

“I never take for granted that clients consider me a trusted resource. I customize each session to their specific needs and go over what I have uncovered during their treatment. They leave with stretches, breathing techniques, heat or cold packs, and/or essential oil recommendations and I allow them to try before they buy. I want them to feel better first and foremost. The fact that they want to come back is an endorsement that they find benefit in my work.”

About Patti Coughlin

Patti Coughlin is the owner of True Face and Body, an eco-conscious spa based in southern California. Her career began in the field of western medicine, but after realizing the benefits of massage, Patti made the transition to complementary and alternative medicine. Her work includes managing a spa, teaching massage, and serving as a spokesperson for an organic skincare line.

Andy Blum, CMT

“Heavenly” and “pure glory” are just a few of the ways Andy Blum’s clients describe her massage skills. Andy is a certified massage therapist with a private practice in the San Francisco area. See below for some of the clues to her clients’ raving testimonials and the success of her business.

1) What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I grew up with an athletic father who was always trying to figure out what muscles were causing him pain. From a very young age I was walking on his back and giving massages! That planted the seed for my curiosity about the body and my passion for bodywork!”

2) What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“Stay away from massage “routines” and work intuitively – this keeps each massage interesting and allows you to be inquisitive and listen to your client’s body. Don’t be afraid to blend modalities and follow your intuition! Also, staying humble, compassionate, empathetic and restraining from judging a client will allow you to hold space for their process.”

3) Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“I would have offered massages to every therapist I admired and asked for feedback. I started doing this as I got more confident as a therapist and it accelerated my learning process. Let them know you are open to and invite negative feedback! Oftentimes therapists are afraid to tell each other something was awkward, especially if the massage was free, but feedback is how we learn – that is the payment!”

4) What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“Online booking! Actually making the appointment is sometimes the hardest part for a client, and online booking simplifies that process for them. These days, clients are tech savvy and busy, especially in the San Francisco Bay area – they want to do everything from their phone or a computer!”

5) What keeps your clients coming back?

“Results! Many of my clients are computer users and hairdressers with repetitive stress that can barely do their jobs by the time they seek out bodywork! They tell me that the therapeutic detailed bodywork I do, especially subscapularis and scalene work, allows them to keep doing what they love – pain free! Clients that are satisfied by effective bodywork come back and produce natural referrals because they want others to experience something that worked for them!”

About Andy Blum, CMT

Andy Blum is a certified massage therapist specializing in pain relief through therapeutic massage at her private practice in San Francisco, CA. Her intrigue and passion for massage is rooted in her education from the Florida School of Massage in 2005 and her continued education in a variety of modalities including Trigger Point Therapy, Ortho-bionomy, Shiatsu, Ayurvedic massage and Reiki. Visit her website for more information.

Fraida Flaishman, Certified Infant Massage Instructor

According to research done by the Touch Research Institute, infant massage reduces sleep problems in infants and facilitates weight gain in preterm infants—and these are just two of the benefits.

Fraid Flaishman has experienced these benefits firsthand—both with her own children and through teaching infant massage to new mothers. Flaishman is a pediatric occupational therapist and certified infant massage instructor who created the Baby Instructions DVD Child Development Series available at her website: SmartBabyInc.com.

Learn more about Flaishman’s experiences in the interview below.

How did you become interested in infant massage?

“I was working as a pediatric occupational therapist doing home care visits for early intervention. This program sends therapists into homes to help babies 3 years old and under.

When I saw an ad for becoming a certified infant massage instructor, I felt this would add to my skills. Teaching mothers about infant massage for [their] babies would be a tangible, healthy skill I could train parents in that they would be able to follow through with and enjoy even when I was not in their home.

An added interest was that I was pregnant at the time and was hoping to use what I learned with my own baby when she was born.”

What advice would you offer to a massage therapist interested in learning more about infant massage?

“I would strongly advise all massage therapist to take training in infant massage. It just takes a few days to get certified and is another aspect of the massage field to broaden their client pool. It is also very rewarding and satisfying helping families connect and bond with their babies. The expertise that [a therapist can] give over to the parents will have long term benefits for them.”

How do you view the relationship between mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being through infant massage?

“Besides the physical health benefits of massaging a baby, such as improved digestion, blood circulation, body awareness and more, massaging is a way for parents to connect and bond with their new baby.

Newborns are limited in their communication and interaction abilities. Infant massage is one way that a parent can interact with their baby, connect with their baby, and do something that they know is healthy for their new child.

The connection that develops between a parent and a baby is strong and healthy and contributes to the emotional well being of a new parent. I personally found training parents rewarding and massaging my two youngest children a beautiful experience.”

Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“My only regret is that I did not know infant massage earlier so that I could have used it with all my children and taught more families about the beauty of infant massage.”

About Fraida Flaishman

Fraida Flaishman MA, OTR, is an occupational therapist that has been working in the field of pediatrics for over sixteen years. She is also a certified instructor of infant massage and the president of Smartbaby, Inc., a family-run business focused on infant and child development. A mother herself, Fraida understands the importance of meeting infants’ and babies’ needs early on.

Morgan Sheets, CMT

Morgan Sheets has been a certified massage therapist since 2010 in the state of Indiana. Like many massage therapists, she was drawn to the profession after experiencing the benefits of massage and alternative health in her own life. Learn more about Morgan and her thoughts about bodywork and business in the interview below.

1. What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I had received regular massage for stress and anxiety related issues and the results were tremendous. My outlook on life changed because my body and muscles were learning to relax and I finally was feeling less pain and more alive. My prior employment ended when the company I was working for went out of business and I was interested in making some life changes. I’ve always been passionate about natural medicine and helping people. The practical side of me felt that being a massage therapist would be a great future career and the soul side of me enjoyed the prospect of helping people feel better and live better.”

2. What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“Recent graduates should be careful about under selling themselves and giving their time away. You don’t have to give away your services to build a clientele. Don’t take any available job. Make sure that your employer is giving you fair compensation for your work as a massage therapist. Join a group of massage professionals in your city so that you have a support system to fall back on and somewhere to go for professional advice.”

Chair massage event that Morgan worked for Mr. Rooter

3. Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“I’m happy with the path I’ve taken as a massage therapist. I worked part time in a spa environment for a year after graduating school. I had a flexible schedule that allowed me to continue working my full time job and secondary part time job while still actively massaging clients and pursuing my career. I didn’t want to open my own space right after school. I knew that for me the right thing was to work in different environments first to see what I liked and didn’t like. Now, after patiently waiting for the right time I’ve opened my own massage studio!”

4. What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“I wouldn’t say my business has taken off yet, but I do maintain a regular part time schedule. For me personally social media has been helpful in referring clients to me. Also word of mouth and referrals from current clients seem to be my main source of clients.”

5. What keeps your clients coming back?

“My clients keep coming back because of the service I provide them. I give a great massage, and treat each and every client with compassion and the best service possible. I’m there to do my best to make them feel better, and I think my clients leave feeling nurtured and restored.”

About Morgan

Morgan Sheets graduated from Indiana Therapeutic Massage School’s 600 hour state accredited program and received her certificate of Massage Therapy in October 2010. Her education included extensive training and hands on experience in therapeutic Swedish massage and deep tissue massage as well as exposure to many other bodywork modalities. She just opened her own massage studio just east of downtown Indianapolis in the Circle City Industrial Complex. She also is available to do chair massage for trade shows, corporate wellness programs, bachelorette parties, open houses, and more!

Morgan’s intention as a massage therapist is to provide each client with the best therapeutic bodywork possible with the goal being to not only help relieve the client’s pain and stress, but to use massage as a method of enhancing general health and as a step in an overall lifestyle of natural health and wellness. The goal is to provide a safe and non-judgmental environment where all are welcome to receive the benefits from massage therapy. Morgan’s philosophy for practice stems from belief in the integrated whole of human beings and humanity.

Morgan’s lifelong love for nature and living “the simple life” as well as a passion for natural medicine and nutrition is part of what made massage therapy so appealing. In 2009 after receiving her first massage for some issues resulting from stress, Morgan became a believer in the benefits of massage and was inspired to begin investigating and pursuing a career in massage therapy. Learn more about Morgan at www.m2massage.com.

Salif Bishop, DVM, LMT

What is Salif Bishop’s best advice for other massage therapists? “Do not follow the money…let the money follow you.”

Salif grew up in Cameroon, where he learned the art of massage from his grandmother, the traditional village’s masseuse and healer, before earning his professional degree in massage in the U.S.

Read more about what Salif has learned in his years working in the healing industry in the interview below.

1. What made you decide to become a massage therapist?
“I was inspired by my grandmother who taught me at my tender age.”

2. What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?
“Do not follow the money…let the $$ follow you. Also, he/she should take time to listen and communicate with a client/patient in order to develop a safe and efficient treatment plan.”

3. Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?
“Having a business plan before starting would have saved me a tremendous amount of energy, as doing mobile massages and working in a few other places can be physically exhausting!”

4. What is one thing that has really made your business take off?
“The result or the outcome of the massage treatment, based on talent, skills and professionalism.”

5. What keeps your clients coming back?
“The above, in addition to a good reputation. Finally, ‘word of mouth.’”

About Salif

Salif Bishop is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a nationally certified LMT, licensed by the State of Maryland. Dr. Bishop hails from Cameroon, Central Africa, where he began giving massages at the tender age of nine as an assistant to his grandmother, the traditional village masseuse and healer.

At the Medi-Spa at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, Salif offers a unique Cameroonian traditional fusion with the western techniques learned in the USA. He is an “in-demand” provider of clinical massage therapy services to patients at Mercy Medical Hospital. While in Cameroon, Dr. Bishop also practiced veterinary medicine. He recently became a fully licensed veterinarian in the United States and will be practicing in Maryland. He continues to see his massage clients as much as possible.