How to hire a certified massage therapist

How to hire a certified massage therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step certified massage therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a certified massage therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new certified massage therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your certified massage therapist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a certified massage therapist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A certified massage therapist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, certified massage therapists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of certified massage therapist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Certified Massage Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Certified Massage Therapist	Massage therapists treat clients by using touch to manipulate the soft-tissue muscles of the body. With their touch, therapists relieve pain, help rehabilitate injuries, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and aid in the general wellness of clients.	$13-41
   Massage Therapist	Massage Therapists are professionals who practice in treating chronic pains like back pain, neck pain or headaches, and physical stress. Their main focus is on the general wellness of their patients... Show more	$14-44

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Sports Massage
   • Taking Care
   • Spa Treatments
   • Therapeutic Massage
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • ROM
   • Swedish Massage
   • Hot Stone Massage
   • Medical History
   • Acupressure
   • Reiki
   • Front Desk
   • Reflexology

   Check all skills

   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.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your certified massage therapist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A certified massage therapist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, certified massage therapists' average salary in florida is 35% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level certified massage therapists earn 67% less than senior-level certified massage therapists.
   • Certifications. A certified massage therapist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a certified massage therapist's salary.

   Average certified massage therapist salary

   $50,956yearly

   $24.50 hourly rate

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   Entry-level certified massage therapist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a certified massage therapist job description

   A job description for a certified massage therapist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a certified massage therapist job description:

   Certified massage therapist job description example

   Are you ready to focus on doing what you love in a place that helps you feel and deliver your best? Massage Envy is the leader in accessible massage and skin care. As a massage therapist at our Fremont franchised location, you'll join a team that's passionate about helping people feel their best through total body care. And you have a meaningful role to play in that mission as you: Combine your expertise and artistry along with our protocols and modalities to design customized services that meet the individual needs of each client.
   Build relationships with members and guests to help them pursue their total body care goals.
   Deliver an amazing, safe, and therapeutic experience with every service. Here's what's in it for you: The difference you'll make in clients' lives is the biggest reward for any massage therapist, but our environment lets you enjoy more of what you love about your work. We take care of overhead costs and supplies, marketing, and building your book of business so you can focus on performing as many massages as you want. And with the repeat clientele that our membership model provides, you'll get to see the long-term impact your services make for members.
   And the perks don't stop there. We support and inspire you to be your best inside and outside the treatment room with: Benefits that help you take care of you including a monthly one hour service and incredible discounts on massages, facials, total body stretch, and all advanced skincare treatments. Plus up to 30% off select retail products.
   A healthy compensation plan that rewards your hard work with highly competitive pay, amazing bonuses and sales commission every single paycheck!
   A dedication to self-care with an education program that helps managers understand the physical impact of your work and gives you the tools to prolong the career you love.
   Continuing education with 12+ free CEs every year.
   A commitment to safety and providing a therapeutic, healing environment for you and Massage Envy members and guests.
   What We'll Accomplish Together
   
   As a team, we're committed to offering excellent professional services that help clients do more of the things they love. Your role and the work you do every day is at the very heart of our mission. This includes: Performing quality, therapeutic bodywork that meets clients' needs within scope of practice and licensing guidelines as applicable in our state.
   Customizing massage services within Massage Envy's policies, protocols, and approved modalities to craft truly personalized sessions.
   Safeguarding the client experience, maintaining client confidentiality and upholding our commitment to safety.
   Embracing the Massage Envy core values of optimism, gratitude, excellence, consistency and empathy.
   Protecting our workplace culture by recognizing and supporting team goals and building positive relationships with team members.
   What it Takes to Succeed
   
   We only succeed together, so we're looking for people with the passion and experience to be amazing. Those who thrive in this role are: Well-skilled professionals who have a minimum of 500 hours of massage therapy school under their belts and a certificate of completion. You'll also need to meet the licensing requirements for massage therapy in our state and be able to pass a background and reference check with flying colors.
   Thirsty for knowledge, seeking continuing education to build on their modality mastery (which must include Swedish and deep tissue massage)
   Clear communicators who can effectively identify each client's needs, set clear expectations, and stay connected to the client throughout the session to achieve the goals of each service.
   Total body care champions who can recommend follow-up visits and additional services and products as needed to help clients pursue their wellness goals.
   Great teammates who show up on time ready to jump in wherever needed to get the job done. We Believe Our Differences Make Us Better We're excited to hear from everyone with the skills, experience, and passion to do a great job regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. If you're ready to bring your healing skills to a place where you can focus on doing what you love, we can't wait to meet you! *Massage Envy Franchising, LLC (“MEF”) is a national franchisor of independently owned and operated franchised locations. Each individual franchised location, not MEF or any of its affiliates, is the sole employer for all positions posted by a franchised location, and each individual franchised location is not acting as an agent for MEF or any of its affiliates. Hiring criteria, benefits and compensation are set by each individually owned and operated franchised location and may vary from location to location.

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5. Post your job

   To find certified massage therapists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any certified massage therapists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level certified massage therapists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your certified massage therapist job on Zippia to find and recruit certified massage therapist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with certified massage therapist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new certified massage therapist

   Once you've selected the best certified massage therapist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new certified massage therapist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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