Second posting of this. Does ANYONE do this???? LA or NYC please hep a girl out!!!!
If so, what's the deal in terms of flexibility, opportunities, conditions and most of all INCOME. Be specific PLEASE. What can I expect?? Any help pretty please. I am going to be studying something whilst on hiatus in the next state til I come back next year. I just have to make sure it is something worth my while. Next year or BUST!!!! Thanks gang...

I know several people who do this in L.A. Two seem to make a living well enough on their own (which means maximum flexibility), though it has its ups and downs (especially if, like one of my friends, you get hurt and physically can't work - no worker's comp there.) Another works for one of the fancy body care places and probably doesn't have much flexibility.

If you're a woman, I probably don't need to point out there's a certain amount of unwelcome attention, but hopefully any course you take will cover how to handle that.

It's like any other potentially profitable, but competitive business. There's a lot of people doing it, and many are at least getting by. But you have to hustle to build up a practice as well.

(I'd bet there are message boards for people who do this, if you wnat to maximize your answers from the pros).

Good answer there Jim...

Another profession to consider is aesthetician. You can make a lot of money and have quite flexible hours working at a salon or spa. The schooling takes about the same amount of time as becoming a massage therapist. Income really depends on the specific place you work and how much they charge for spa treatments, and how much commission you make. If you work in a swanky spa in Beverly Hills, you could be making 6 figures, while if you work in a cheap little place, obviously you won't make much. My sister considered massage therapy and went to school for it but later decided to become an aesthetician, and has had success at in it. She decided against massage therapy because she found it to be very draining (emotionally as well as physically) and did not want the unwarranted attention; the duties of an aesthetician she found more palatable and less exhausting. It's also a profession in high demand, with more and more spas and salons popping up everywhere you go in LA or NY.