Massage Therapists

21% (Low Risk)

Low Risk (21-40%): Jobs in this level have a limited risk of automation, as they demand a mix of technical and human-centric skills.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

User poll

Sentiment

The following graph is included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Massage Therapists' was $55,310, or $26 per hour

'Massage Therapists' were paid 15.1% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

Comments

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Maggie (No chance) 2 months ago

Massage therapy is more complex than the massage chairs at the mall. There is an element of touch that comes from another person that plays a role. Further more, sensory processing is an essential component of being a massage therapist. Our nervous system is so complex in its ability to sense things that robots are not equipped to sense. Palpation and other sensory assessments are crucial to providing a quality a massage and that cannot be effectively emulated by a robot.

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Lynn (Low) 9 months ago

Massage therapy is more that just human to human contact. It requires the ability to read body language of clients and being able to express empathy that is genuine from lived experience- two things that won't be possible for AI to ever TRULY express.

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Sagedreamz (Uncertain) 1 year ago

Nothing is Greater than human touch human connection we are vibrational beings not data input output HDMI pugs. Our download is Reiki Energy healing from one human to the other the connection comes in a cycle of giver and receiver. No AI machine would ever transmit that.

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Tiffini (Low) 2 years ago

This job requires the ability to accurately read and interpret the nuances of what it takes to make a human comfortable across different personality types and cultural differences. There is a mysterious element of manipulating energy, acute awareness and ability to change tactics to match the needs of each individual that I very much doubt a robot could emulate. A machine massage is ok but a human massage seems irreplaceable.

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Dex (No chance) 2 years ago

The massage robots I’ve seen simply roll different tools back and forth over the body… which in no way comes close to what a skilled massage therapist does. Plus many clients seek massage specifically because they are craving HUMAN contact.

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Kristine (No chance) 3 years ago

It's customized and complicated for each person and personality. No way a robot could be proficient in it.

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Noel Masip 3 years ago

The reason why robots can't do this job?


The first fundamental rules of the robots:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

There are the "Hard massages", when people want to feel the pain to feel better

Hard massages, Ventusa, Thai massage, Scrubs and others, do "pain" to feel better later.

And also, there are people who when you do the massage, want it harder, in that moment the robot, will blow up and fail to do the massage to the customer.

Unless AI is very well developed, but not in this century...

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anika (No chance) 4 years ago

becauseeeee how is steel and metal going to make massages feel good

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Greg Dahlen (No chance) 4 years ago

think people want the interaction with another human

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Greg Dahlen 4 years ago

Don't know if robots can do the tiny changes in hand movement that make a good massage

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Elle 5 years ago

Robots could absolutely do this job. It would feel the same as regular fingers, pressure could be adjusted by voice requests, and as an added bonus it could likely analyze data while performing the massage to make medical recommendations such as how someone should stretch, moles they should have checked, or other health analysis to check for various conditions.

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Phil (Low) 5 years ago

The human body works off of emotion and continual feedback to shape it. Even if a machine were to precisely target muscle tension and release it, it does not account for the mind-body influence. Maybe in the far future a direct electric connection to the brain might be possible, but not in the next 20 years. Even then, a robot does not offer the social support that is instrumental in the body's reaction.

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Monica League 5 years ago

Massage therapies work is about human touch. Its make you feel more comfortable. Am not in the favor of robotics touch as its make your body more tired. Robots don't have feeling and they don't know anything about human touch.

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Sarah (No chance) 6 years ago

Massage therapy would never be done by robots. So this job should never be taken over by robots or artificial intelligence.

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Vernon Burgess 6 years ago

No robot will understand how to rehabilitate muscles, tendons, connective tissues, mitigate injuries. No way a robot will ever achieve that.

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Tony Giglio 6 years ago

I disagree, they can learn ANYTHING.... they are already making cancer surgeries instead of surgeons and have better ways to indentify cancers.... and this is just the beginning...

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Nohar 3 years ago

You compare surgeries to massage? They are way too different!

A massage, it's not only pressures, manipulations and stretching, it's also human contact, psychology and trusting someone.

A robot malfunctioning could harm, an ill therapist, it's resting on a bed.

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Mike 6 years ago

Robotic massage will have some niches. We already have massage chairs of varying levels of sophistication, but they lack the human touch, the skin on skin contact that can also release endorphins and satisfy a primal urge to be groomed.

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Aleksi Korhonen 6 years ago

There will always be demand for massage therapists and sex workers etc. You can't make skin-to-skin contact and pheromones artificially.

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Matthew Watson 6 years ago

This occupation requires the human touch. A person would have to help others relax. While some tasks can be automated. Most of it will require someone to do the work

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