Newly updated October 2026! Learn how to manage the business side of a massage therapy practice with greater organization, financial awareness, and purpose. This 6-hour continuing education course introduces massage therapists to practical business management concepts including planning, financial performance, pricing and profitability, daily operations, client policies, marketing performance, technology, professional relationships, risk management, and sustainable growth.
Whether you operate a solo massage therapy practice or are looking for a better understanding of how an established practice functions as a business, this course provides practical tools for evaluating performance, improving business systems, making informed decisions, and developing a practice that supports your professional and financial goals.
In this course, you will learn:
- The responsibilities involved in managing a massage therapy business
- How to use business planning and strategic decision-making in an established practice
- Essential concepts related to revenue, expenses, profit, cash flow, budgeting, and financial reserves
- How pricing, appointment capacity, discounts, cancellations, and expenses affect profitability
- Ways to improve scheduling, administrative workflows, inventory, and daily business operations
- How to develop and communicate client policies and manage common service-related situations
- Methods for evaluating marketing activities using inquiries, bookings, acquisition costs, retention, and other practical measures
- How to select and manage technology, financial records, business information, and administrative systems
- Strategies for developing professional relationships, referral connections, and effective business communication
- How to identify business risks and prepare for unexpected disruptions
- Factors to consider when evaluating growth, expansion, workload, and long-term sustainability
- How to complete a practical business review and develop a 90-day Business Management Action Plan
Why take this course?
Providing excellent massage therapy services is only one part of operating a successful practice. Business owners must also make decisions about finances, pricing, scheduling, policies, marketing, technology, risk, workload, and future direction. Understanding how these areas work together can help massage therapists identify problems earlier, use their resources more effectively, and make decisions based on the actual needs and performance of their practice.
This course takes a practical approach to business management specifically for massage therapists. Rather than focusing only on starting a business, it examines the ongoing responsibilities involved in managing an established practice and provides tools that can be applied to real business situations. By the end of the course, you will have a framework for reviewing your practice, identifying priorities, and developing specific actions to support a more organized, financially sustainable, and manageable massage therapy business.
The Center for Massage Therapy Continuing Education, LLC is an Approved Provider through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB); Approved Provider number 409296-00.
Our continuing education courses are also accepted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and most state boards.
For more information on individual state requirements and approvals, please visit our Approvals page and click on your state.
I liked that the course was thorough and had extra information to download that helps when starting a business and what that organization might look like. - Cheyenne W.
Easy read and packed full of great information that could be used in business and personal situations. - Julie Spencer
I liked this course because it gave me new incentive as far as the business side of my practice goes. - Kelsey Bennett
Tons of relevant information on how to run a business! - Camille Torres, LMT
I liked how it included information on marketing and goal setting. - Samantha Peters, LMT
Information was clearly laid out and I was able to use it in my massage practice. - M. Waters, LMT
When establishing goals what type of time period should you choose?
A. Depends on the goal
B. The longer the better
C. The shorter the better
D. Always 1 year
What are variable monthly expenses?
A. Monthly expenses that occur every month at different times
B. Monthly expenses that occur every month with a fixed amount
C. Monthly expenses that occur every month with different amounts
D. Monthly expenses that occur every month at fixed times
Which of the following is not a section of a business plan?
A. Marketing plan
B. Financial plan
C. Management plan
D. Operational plan
