Massage therapy job market in Portland? (jobs, health, home)

[bamshala]

My boyfriend and I are thinking about moving to Portland from San Diego. We are both Massage Therapists and originally from the East Coast. We are looking for a place to set down roots with cheaper costs of living, cleaner enviro, and better licensing regulation (Massage Therapists in San Diego have to pay exorbitant fees and are still licensed as “Adult Entertainers”!!)

I’ve heard great things about Portland from friends who live there, but I’m concerned about the job market for Massage Therapists. We would like to open our own biz but know that we will both probably have to work for employers until we have our own clientele in Portland. Any suggestions or feedback?

[lorageneva]

Hey there! I have recently moved to Portland from Alaska where I was licensed in Massage Therapy. My boyfriend is currently enrolled in a massage therapy program here. I know that the standards are much higher here in Portland and so that is why I made the decision to come here. In Oregon they require that you must complete the NCTMB and pass a practical exam before receiving licensure. I am now studying to take the boards and I am very eager to get going in my feild. The market for massage therapists here is great and there are a ton of therapists! It is becoming more a more recognized as a great health benefit. I too would like to run my own business, but in the meantime I will need to work for somebody else and focus on building up a clientel. I think that you will love Portland. It is a great city.

[gypsydoc]

My daughter is a licensed Massage therapist here.. There are many, many of them. There is also a great number of people who use them. So.. she has worked in a couple of spas where they book you quite a bit, but the hourly pay is very low compared to what the client is paying. So.. she has some clients she works on out of her home, and some she sees at the spa.
It's like anything else, takes time to build and marketing is very important. I would think that areas outside of Portland downtown might have more opportunities for massage therapists.

Some people also do out calls and if you are confident of where you're going and who you're going to see, it can be a way to earn money fairly quickly.

Good luck!
Oh, also there are some "live-work" spaces being built so you can have your business on the first floor, and have your living area upstairs... Very cool... Some you can buy, and I think there might be some you can rent.. but I'm not sure of that, or the price.
Hope that helps!

[bukuloo]

I'm moving to Portland in the summer of next year. I've been through all the training here in Florida for massage therapy, except I failed to take the exam. Procrastination, lack of funds, lack of focus. Point is I didn't follow it all the way through and now I feel like I need a refresher course before I try to take the test. Does Portland offer anything of that nature? Are there enough jobs in that area to bother with exams, licensure, and continued education?