Massage Therapist Resume: Examples and Tips

Massage therapists provide physical treatments for patients and clients that relieve pain, reduce stress, increase relaxation, and improve general wellness. This position usually involves knowledge of different massage techniques, educating clients about rehabilitative and stretching exercises, and working closely with chiropractors, physicians and physiotherapists to formulate patient-specific plans.

Build a worthy resume for a career as a massage therapist with the help of these expert tips and resume examples:

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Massage Therapist Resume Example

Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Massage Therapist Resume

  1. Summary In a few short, crisp sentences, announce your top skills and work experiences, in the form of an elevator pitch. For example: “Dedicated massage therapist with advanced client skills. Experienced working with medical practitioners to treat chronic pain.” Notice how the example includes prime traits (dedication, client relations) as well as an area of specialty (treating chronic pain).
  2. Skills Center this section around abilities that meet what the employer is looking for. For example, if the job calls for knowledge of shiatsu massage and reflexology, include these skills here. Don’t forget to include soft skills — personal attributes that show how you approach work, such as a positive attitude, excellent communication skills and adaptability.
  3. Work History Instead of listing standard tasks, emphasize responsibilities that brought value to your previous employers, using concise bullet points. When you can, provide details on your accomplishments using numbers. For example: “Delivered specialized services that helped double overall spa sales over six months.”
  4. Education List your highest academic credential, including the name and location of the institution, as demonstrated in our examples, as well as certification or training you’ve received in massage therapy. If you have a state license for practicing massage, include it here.

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Find the Right Template for your Resume

Give your resume a look that matches your professionalism, using these employer-ready templates.

Accentuate

This template presents information in two columns, with prominent section headings for efficient organization. The understated header adds a touch of class.

Original

This striking layout utilizes color-shaded quadrants to organize information, placing the summary statement up top for extra exposure.

Qualified

The professional resume fonts and straightforward layout gives this design a streamlined look. Section headings are arranged on the left for easy reference.

For more resume designs you can use, visit our resume templates section.

Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume

  • DO review your resume before you send it. Being sloppy in your massage work isn’t a good look — and it isn’t good for your resume, either. Before sending in your resume, review it a few times to catch typos and other blunders, and ensure that the details you’ve provided are up-to-date and accurate. Our step-by-step Resume Builder can help check your resume for these types of mistakes.
  • DO keep your resume to a reasonable length. Most hiring managers agree that one to two pages is the ideal length for a resume. Keep to this limit by following these tips:
    • Limit your work history to the past 10 years at most.
    • Avoid long paragraphs, and use bullet points and short phrases to describe your skills and work achievements.
    • Focus only on qualifications and past work highlights that speak directly to what’s needed for the potential job.
  • DO emphasize soft skills. Massage therapy depends on good communication and cooperation between therapists and patients, so emphasize soft skills that show you can create a comfortable and relaxing environment, such as empathy, a friendly personality, and good customer service skills. Make sure these skills come through in your work experiences, as well. For example, “Provided friendly massage services to five clients per day” says something about your interpersonal skills.
  • DON’T forget to customize your resume for different job opportunities Every employer has different expectations and requirements, so it’s vital to gear your skills and work experience around the requirements you see in the specific job posting. For example, one job may focus on providing customized, quality deep-tissue massage, while another may involve explaining features and benefits of spa products, treatments and services to guests. In your resume, single out skills and accomplishments that fit the job. For more resume customization tips, see How to Create a Targeted Resume.
  • DON’T use fancy layouts for your resume. Using flamboyant colors, fonts and/or graphics might make your resume stand out for the wrong reasons, especially if employers reading your document have a hard time finding the right information. Keep it simple with a clean, organized layout, standard fonts, and subtle borders and spacing, rather than fancy tables or other graphic elements. Our free resume templates are a good place to start if you need inspiration.
  • DON’T forget to make an impact by quantifying your accomplishments. Anyone can say they performed massages on a regular basis, but how much regular massage work do you do? How good are you at it? To answer these questions, quantify your work achievements with numbers, stats and metrics. For example: “Performed 18-20 hours of massage per week, using a wide range of modalities,” or “Contributed to thriving physical therapy practice that has maintained a 60% repeat business rate.”