Massage therapist + gay + dogs - good for Portland? (Dallas: transplants, apartments)

[BornJuju]

I'm 21 and I've lived in Tennessee all my life and the most I've traveled is to Myrtle Beach, SC. (And to NoCal, but I was only at a secluded monastery up in the mountains). Once I graduate massage school in March of next year (638 hours) and get my license, I want to find somewhere more progressive and more interested in holistic health than the general Southern area to begin my career as a clinical massage therapist and build up a clientele base. Plus I'd like somewhere bigger than Knoxville, but not an enormous city. I'm kind of a country boy at heart, with a love for nature and artsy things and going out from time to time. So I've been doing relocation research as I attempt to find my future home by next summer merely through online resources.

I'm thinking Seattle, Denver, or here. And I was leaning a lot towards Denver due to sunshine and all the outdoor activities, but it's so bare! Plus I don't want to settle down somewhere only to be going through a water crisis in a decade or two due to poor conservation of resource. I went through an entire photos thread on this forum, and Portland is absolutely beautiful! Trees everywhere, moreso than here in Knoxville. With all the lush vegetation, and my love for gardening and green things, I'm sure I could move past the constant cloudy drizzle.

With all the LGBT laws I'm assuming gay is largely viewed as normal/accepted here. Is this correct?

Is there a good market for massage therapy? I'd like to move there as a massage therapist and do yoga instruction on the side. Would this make a good living for a decent 2 bedroom apartment?

When I move, I'd also like to go to the shelter of wherever I end up living and adopt two buddies to be with me as I adjust to living somewhere completely foreign to me. I've noticed a lot of Craigslist apartment ads specify cats as alright, but dogs seem to be forbidden. And even then, the breed list is very strict. Is Portland not much of a "go jogging with your dog" type of city? Would it have to do with the wet weather making outdoor activities with canine companions a little messier than most people would like?

How "green" and eco-friendly is Portland? Are renewable resources, energy/water conservation, recycling, etc. a part of the city?

Lastly, and personally in your opinion, do you think a young gay male massage therapist with a love for holistic/preventative health, nature, dogs, reading and writing would do well in Portland and move towards his career and marriage/family goals?

Thanks for any information, help, and/or opinions, y'all! I appreciate it!

[Rob Allen]

Your main problem here will be that there are too many others just like you competing for the same clientele. There are what, five or six massage schools here? And their graduates all want to stay in this area. Ditto for the naturopaths, chiropractors and acupuncturists who go to school here.

You are correct that being gay is a non-issue around here, and recycling/sustainability is mainstream. The issue with dogs in apartments is that currently there's more demand for apartments than supply, so landlords can afford to be picky. A lot of them just don't want to have to clean up after a tenant's dog.

You sound like you'd fit right in here, if you can find a way to make a living.

[BornJuju]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

Your main problem here will be that there are too many others just like you competing for the same clientele. There are what, five or six massage schools here? And their graduates all want to stay in this area. Ditto for the naturopaths, chiropractors and acupuncturists who go to school here.

You are correct that being gay is a non-issue around here, and recycling/sustainability is mainstream. The issue with dogs in apartments is that currently there's more demand for apartments than supply, so landlords can afford to be picky. A lot of them just don't want to have to clean up after a tenant's dog.

You sound like you'd fit right in here, if you can find a way to make a living.

I had no idea until I looked up massage schools! Wow. I'm going to one of two massage schools in Knoxville, and this one is more clinically focused. Massage as a form of therapy and legitimate health care is still something kind of new and strange here, but it makes sense that somewhere much more forward like Portland would have lots of people "like me" I suppose. The schools there, particularly the Oregon School of Massage, look like they have a very thorough education.

[Minervah]

One neighbor is a massage therapist; a former neighbor is also a massage therpist. It seems that people post here at least a few times a month asking about this profession so from some time back I asked them both what the future would be for someone just starting out. Both of these ladies have been doing this for ten to fifteen years and have an established clientele so their answers are honest and they are not trying to avoid competition.

Both say it is extremely difficult for anyone starting out in Portland today. The key is to try to get a job at a spa and work your way up to establish your own business. They both feel that is the best way to earn any decent kind of money. The problem is, the competition is very, very strong for the few openings available. Both agree when they first got into the business, there were many, many more opportunites. Today there seem to be more people being trained and more transplants seeking massage therapy jobs. Both say that if they were young and just starting out today, they would probably pass Portland by.

Regarding the dogs, it is difficult to find an apartment that would take them but by no means impossible. I think your best bet would be to contact a rental property management company. They may have more listings that would be amenable to dogs. You are right about cats, they are more welcome in apartments. The suburbs are more welcoming for pets or so I am told. I don't think finding roommates would be a problem either since many young people are eager to relocate here and are looking to share expenses.

[Nell Plotts]

My 71 y.o. brother-in-law has a massage therapist licence... and he is a computer geek! Honest, we have them by the gazillion.

Gay, dogs.. who cares. Bottom line, your odds of earning a living as a massage therapist are slim.

[Minervah]

My goodness! 71 years old and massage therapist. That's a bit older than the ones I know. Since the ones I do know and the gazillion I have met are mostly in their upper thirties and lower forties, I have come to the conclusion that maybe twenty years ago, that was the field to enter. These things go in trends. Then the field gets saturated and the need just gets dried up.

In the two examples I gave, the therapists I mentioned have had their clients for years and they built their businesses largely by word of mouth. But I know that one of them is looking to the day when she may lose some of them. When and if that time comes she will probably relocate to different city where she knows she can get a steady job with a spa. She doesn't want to deal with the competition she would have to face here.

[Nell Plotts]

My dear bil really doesn't practice any more (that I know of). He got caught in the AT&T rif a few years ago and needed something to do so he signed up at a mt school then passed the exam. DH just shook his head.

[BornJuju]

Well goodness, this is disheartening. I appreciate the honesty though.

I'm a hard worker. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life doing this. Building a clientele through word of mouth and my own communication skills, etc. But it sounds like you can just walk down the street in Portland and find a LMT.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by BornJuju

... ... it sounds like you can just walk down the street in Portland and find a LMT.

More or less. My neice has not found a job since graduation six years ago as there are so many LMT's. Even here in little ol' Dallas we have a dozen, all starving, and two of them are Chiropractors.


What I want to hear about are the "Gay Dogs".

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

... ... Gay dogs.. ... ...

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Gay, dogs.. who cares.

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

What I want to hear about are the "Gay Dogs".

Hilarious.

O/P, it looks like you chose a tough city in which to begin your career. I wish you all the best, though.