Certified massage therapist vs therapeutic massage technician

The differences between certified massage therapists and therapeutic massage technicians 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 $46,010 average annual salary of a therapeutic massage technician.

The top three skills for a certified massage therapist include customer service, sports massage and taking care. The most important skills for a therapeutic massage technician are patient care, autism, and physical therapy.

Certified massage therapist vs therapeutic massage technician overview

	Certified Massage Therapist	Therapeutic Massage Technician
Yearly salary	$50,956	$46,010
Hourly rate	$24.50	$22.12
Growth rate	20%	20%
Number of jobs	61,567	18,351
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Certified massage therapist vs therapeutic massage technician salary

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

	Certified Massage Therapist	Therapeutic Massage Technician
Average salary	$50,956	$46,010
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $87,000	Between $25,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between certified massage therapist and therapeutic massage technician education

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

	Certified Massage Therapist	Therapeutic Massage Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Somatic Bodywork	Somatic Bodywork
Most common college	-	-

Certified massage therapist vs therapeutic massage technician demographics

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

	Certified Massage Therapist	Therapeutic Massage Technician
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 19.4% Female, 80.6%	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%
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, 6.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between certified massage therapist and therapeutic massage technician 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.

Therapeutic massage technician example responsibilities.

Manage confidential client health information in accordance with the HIPPA act.
Maintain professionalism and cleanliness of assign therapy room and maintain the confidentiality and sensitivity to relate issues during all client interactions.
Provide massage services to variety of clients ranging from chiropractic patients to motorcycle track-day participants.

Certified massage therapist vs therapeutic massage technician 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 therapeutic massage technician skills

Patient Care, 46%
Autism, 19%
Physical Therapy, 14%
Medical Appointments, 7%
Soft Tissue, 6%
Behavioral Problems, 3%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Certified Massage Therapist
Certified Massage Therapist vs Therapeutic Massage Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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