Massage Therapy School in Jersey City, NJ
You will find many massage therapists in the Jersey City area who are working in the fitness, sports and injury rehabilitation sectors. They may be providing services on their own or working alongside chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and personal trainers. There are also a number of LMTs providing relaxation massage at spas and studios. Some provide mobile massage; corporate massage may be offered as a quick stress-buster or pick-me-up or as a relief from the aches and pains that come from sitting too long.
Top Massage Schools in Jersey City and Surrounding Areas
The Institute for Therapeutic Massage provides options for individuals who want specialized training. Oncology massage and massage/ personal training are among the options. The Institute has four New Jersey campuses, including Bloomfield and Haskel. The school provides information about meeting requirements in three states: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The New Jersey School of Integrative Health, also known as the Sun Institute, offers multiple options. There’s a New Jersey program and an add-on program that prepares the student for New York licensure. Also available is a HwalGong acupressure program for professionals already licensed as LMTs.
The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is another option for those who want a comprehensive program and multiple post-graduate pathways. The program is on the long side: above the minimum required even in New York. Asian bodywork is an area of focus.
Living and Working Near the New Jersey/ New York Border
If a person is living in Jersey City, his or her closest school is likely to be in New York State, though there will be nearby schools on both sides of the border. Some of the jobs that catch the eye in an internet search are apt to be NYC, but again, there are plenty of people working — and setting up shop — in Jersey City.
One advantage Jersey City has over New York City is the cost of living, though even here housing prices depend in part on how close one is to the heart of the city. A person may be surprised at just how high the rates are that some New Jersey practices charge for a (very) good massage.
Still, some will want that New York option. One thing to keep in mind: New York requires more initial massage therapy training hours than just about any other state, and the 1,000-hour minimum doesn’t go down just because one first seeks a license somewhere else — that takes some experience.
As for continuing education, one can freely pick from any nearby city, whichever state it’s in. Here one may consider themselves lucky! Some LMTs around the nation travel far for the occasional weekend training that will put them ahead of the crowd. In dense urban areas — and sometimes less urban ones — some LMTs go deep indeed. They don’t just want to have training in a particular sub-discipline like sports massage; they want multiple advanced certifications and trainings, representing the latest and the best.
Massage Practices
Health in Hands, with two locations near Jersey City, specializes in trigger point massage but also offers other modalities including reflexology and Himalayan hot stone.
Salvation Wellness offers diverse modalities including neuromuscular therapy, craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, cupping, and even stretching. They can provide a massage for chronic shoulder pain.
Hoboken Women’s Wellness specializes in caring for women at different stages of life. The practice offers general therapeutic massage tailored to individual needs. The client can also get a prenatal or postnatal massage or learn to massage an infant. There’s also partner massage instruction and labor massage instruction. During spring, one can enjoy services with their mom or daughter in celebration of Mother’s Day — whatever age both happen to be!
The Basebody Spa, an Aveda facility, offers far more than just sports massage. Even ‘Chakra balancing massage’ is included among the modalities. The Basebody offers other services like fitness classes.
Harborside Sport and Spine is among those that have professionals from diverse disciplines onboard; the focus is on pain and injury (https://www.harborsidespine.com/symptoms-harborside-sport-spine-jersey-city-nj). The Spine and Sports Health Center is another multi-disciplinary practice.
Massage Pricing and Massage Therapist Wages
Some massage prices in the greater metropolitan area approach and even exceed $2 a minute. Some spas and massage studios, notably, charge more to repeat customers. One highly rated spa with two New Jersey locations prices a one-hour massage at $110 for new customers, $155 for returning customers – this may be considered in part a testament to their confidence in their own services. Another popular practice charges a standard $110. At many practices, there is a price differential for different types of massage; this may take the form of an add-on charge. Services in some places are priced significantly lower. One big-name company, for example, advertises an introductory rate of $60 at their downtown New Jersey franchise.
What a person is making as an employee is of course considerably less. The BLS lists as salary a median hourly rate of $21.88 for massage therapists in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolis. There is evidence of a wide range, with 10% making less than $11.80 but another 10% making more than $41.28.
Job ads tell their own story. One fitness business, seeking to hire two LMTs for a business that had grown quite a bit in the two years since its inception, advertised a starting rate of $20 and noted this was what they themselves would pay; tips were in addition. The business also hinted at the possibility of LMTs earning significantly more down the line. Part-time work came with free gym membership — a not uncommon sort of extra.