Massage Therapists
Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
98,790 people do this job in the US. $58,450 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 12%
- 5%
- 83%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 12%. Today's estimate: 12%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 27% | 50 min25 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 23% | 54 min38 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min8 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min8 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Perform other adjunctive therapies or treatment techniques in addition to massage.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min13 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min8 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Maintain treatment records.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Prepare and blend oils and apply the blends to clients' skin.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 1% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).