The income question is usually one of the first things people want answered when they’re considering remedial massage as a career. And it’s a fair one, because the range is genuinely wide. A therapist starting out in a spa setting earns something quite different to an experienced mobile remedial therapist with a full client base. But salary is only part of the picture. Whether remedial massage is the right career depends on more than the numbers, and that’s worth thinking through alongside the income side. This guide focuses on what remedial massage therapists actually earn in Australia, what affects those numbers, and how independent and mobile work changes the picture.
What Remedial Massage Therapists Earn in Australia
According to SEEK, the average salary for a remedial massage therapist in Australia sits between $65,000 and $75,000 per year for employed positions, with New South Wales averaging $77,500 and Queensland $74,000.
Hourly rates across the profession range considerably. Indeed reports an average of $50.74 per hour nationally, with entry-level rates starting around $25.73 and experienced therapists at the 90th percentile earning above $41 per hour. At the higher end, top-tier therapists can earn up to $109,000 per year, with the pay gap between mid-career and senior practitioners representing a difference of close to 79 percent.
Entry-Level Remedial Massage Therapist Salary
Starting out, most remedial massage therapists earn toward the lower end of the national range. PayScale puts entry-level hourly rates at around $25.73 for therapists in their first year, with total pay packages ranging from $40,000 to $86,000 depending on hours worked, bonuses, and employment structure.
Mid-Level and Experienced Therapist Salary
With experience, earnings rise meaningfully. Therapists with five or more years in practice and a strong client base consistently report hourly rates above $40, with senior therapists and those running their own mobile practice reaching well beyond this. The SEEK national average of $65,000 to $75,000 reflects primarily employed full-time positions. Self-employed and mobile therapists with established practices often earn above this range.
Employed vs Self-Employed: How the Income Picture Differs
Employed remedial massage therapists receive a consistent income, usually structured as a base rate or commission on sessions delivered. The typical commission split in clinics and spas sits between 40 and 60 percent of the session fee, with the remainder covering overhead, supplies, and the employer’s margin.
Self-employed therapists keep most of what they charge but cover their own costs: equipment, insurance, association membership, travel, linen, and marketing. The earning ceiling is higher, but so is the variability, particularly in the early stages before a reliable client base is established.
The key difference is control. An employed therapist trades a portion of their earnings for stability and predictability. A self-employed therapist takes on more responsibility in exchange for a larger share of each session and more flexibility over how they work.
How Mobile Work Changes the Earning Picture
Mobile remedial massage, where therapists travel to clients at home, in hotels, or at workplaces, changes the income equation in a few meaningful ways.
There’s no treatment room rent, no employer taking a commission cut, and no fixed roster to work around. Therapists working through Blys keep a significant portion of each booking fee, with Blys taking a platform fee to cover marketing, bookings, technology, customer support, and insurance. Therapists on the Blys platform can earn two to three times more than the industry standard compared to traditional spa and clinic employment.
The extended availability window also helps. Blys operates from 6 am to midnight, seven days a week, which means therapists can take bookings on evenings, weekends, and public holidays that attract higher rates than standard business hours. For therapists who want to maximise their income without being tied to a clinic roster, that flexibility is a practical advantage.
Running costs also need to be factored in. Fuel, equipment maintenance, linen, insurance, and association fees all come out of earnings. But for most therapists with a steady flow of bookings, the maths works out considerably better than employed clinic work, particularly once an established client base is in place. Building that client base is its own process, and one that looks quite different for mobile therapists than for those working in a fixed clinic.
How Experience and Specialisation Affect Rates
Experience is the single biggest driver of income growth for remedial massage therapists. Industry data for massage therapists broadly shows that those with 10 to 19 years of experience earn around $30.74 per hour on average, rising to $55 per hour for those with 20-plus years. Remedial therapists typically earn above these figures given the clinical nature of the work, but the trajectory is consistent. That’s a significant difference over the course of a career.
Specialisation also affects earning potential. Therapists who build expertise in areas like sports injury management, pregnancy massage, oncology massage, or chronic pain treatment can often charge higher rates and attract a more consistent client base. Clients with specific needs tend to be more loyal and more likely to book regularly than those seeking general relaxation.
Continuing professional development plays into this too. Therapists who invest in upskilling, whether through additional certifications, workshops, or postgraduate training, are better positioned to command higher rates and take on more complex cases. Professional association membership with MMA and ATMS requires a minimum number of CPD hours annually, which keeps practitioners current and adds credibility with clients seeking private health fund rebates. AMT also encourages ongoing professional development, so check directly with AMT for their current CPD requirements.
How to Earn as a Remedial Massage Therapist on Blys
If you’re considering earning through mobile remedial work, signing up with Blys is easy. Enter your personal details including your name, gender, date of birth, and contact information. Set your service area notification radius so you’re alerted to bookings around a fixed location. Add your location, choose the services you offer, and enter your business number if you have one. Add your professional experience and a referral code if applicable, then create your account.
Once your credentials are verified, you can start accepting bookings in your area.
If you’ve been thinking about it, this is probably a good time to stop thinking and start building.
