Certified massage therapist vs clinical massage therapist

The differences between certified massage therapists and clinical massage therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified massage therapist has an average salary of $50,956, which is higher than the $49,219 average annual salary of a clinical massage therapist.

The top three skills for a certified massage therapist include customer service, sports massage and taking care. The most important skills for a clinical massage therapist are front desk, patients, and client confidentiality.

Certified massage therapist vs clinical massage therapist overview

	Certified Massage Therapist	Clinical Massage Therapist
Yearly salary	$50,956	$49,219
Hourly rate	$24.50	$23.66
Growth rate	20%	20%
Number of jobs	61,567	79,875
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Certified massage therapist vs clinical massage therapist salary

Certified massage therapists and clinical massage therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Massage Therapist	Clinical Massage Therapist
Average salary	$50,956	$49,219
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $87,000	Between $27,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between certified massage therapist and clinical massage therapist education

There are a few differences between a certified massage therapist and a clinical massage therapist in terms of educational background:

	Certified Massage Therapist	Clinical Massage Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Somatic Bodywork	Somatic Bodywork
Most common college	-	-

Certified massage therapist vs clinical massage therapist demographics

Here are the differences between certified massage therapists' and clinical massage therapists' demographics:

	Certified Massage Therapist	Clinical Massage Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 19.4% Female, 80.6%	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between certified massage therapist and clinical massage therapist duties and responsibilities

Certified massage therapist example responsibilities.

Manage confidential client health information in accordance with the HIPPA act.
Used bodywork techniques such as reflexology.
Perform massages, reflexology, facials, pedicures and manicures.
Provide targeted therapy to each patient in order to maximize benefits of chiropractic care
Provide massage services to variety of clients ranging from chiropractic patients to motorcycle track-day participants.
Maintain professionalism and cleanliness of assign therapy room and maintain the confidentiality and sensitivity to relate issues during all client interactions.

Clinical massage therapist example responsibilities.

Manage confidential client health information in accordance with the HIPPA act.
Provide care to chiropractic patients with specific condition treatments.
Schedule appointments, maintain records and accounts, and answer telephone calls to refer inquiries to providers for patients.
Maintain professionalism and cleanliness of assign therapy room and maintain the confidentiality and sensitivity to relate issues during all client interactions.
Perform massage therapy and Reiki on palliative care patients

Certified massage therapist vs clinical massage therapist skills

Common certified massage therapist skills

Customer Service, 70%
Sports Massage, 6%
Taking Care, 5%
Spa Treatments, 2%
Therapeutic Massage, 2%
Scheduling Appointments, 1%

Common clinical massage therapist skills

Front Desk, 23%
Patients, 19%
Client Confidentiality, 11%
Physical Therapy, 9%
Soft Tissue, 8%
Pain Relief, 3%

Certified Massage Therapist vs. similar jobs

Certified Massage Therapist related careers

Certified Massage Therapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Certified Massage Therapist
Certified Massage Therapist vs Clinical Massage Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare support jobs