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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Support

Massage Therapists

Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.

Also called: BCMT (Board Certified Massage Therapist), Bodywork Therapist, Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), Clinical Massage Therapist, Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)

Compare with my current job (Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$75,160
$36.13/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,180
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+12.1%
610 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Postsecondary nondegree award

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$46,430$52,370$75,160$103,000$104,710

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
  • Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
  • Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
  • Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
  • Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
  • Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure23 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 5
  • Language-model AIOE 28
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 36

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help a bit with the talking and paperwork side, such as organizing client histories. They do not touch the hands-on work of treating muscles and soft tissue, which is the heart of the job.

Likely to change

  • Organizing client medical history notes
  • Tracking supplies and appointment details

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on massage and finger pressure
  • Talking with clients about pain and stress

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

4 programs near Boston

Related occupations

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