Pay is often the deciding question when people consider massage therapy school, so it helps to look at actual data for the San Antonio area. The figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, which surveys employers each year and publishes wage estimates by occupation and location. The most recent estimates cited here are from May 2025.
Massage Therapist Pay in the San Antonio–New Braunfels Area
The OEWS program estimated that massage therapists in the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan area earned a mean (average) wage of $30.08 per hour, or $62,570 per year, in May 2025. The median wage — the point where half of massage therapists in the area earned more and half earned less — was $56,870 per year. The program also estimated employment of about 790 massage therapists in the metro area.
A mean that sits higher than the median is common in this occupation: a smaller number of therapists earning higher incomes pulls the average up, while the median reflects what a therapist in the middle of the local pay range earns. Neither figure is a promise of what any individual therapist will make; actual pay varies by employer, setting, and experience, and these estimates describe wages reported for a past period.
How San Antonio Compares With Texas and the United States
For context, the same May 2025 OEWS release put the statewide median annual wage for massage therapists in Texas at $59,370, with a mean annual wage of $65,060. Nationally, the median annual wage was $58,450 and the mean was $63,830, according to BLS OEWS data. San Antonio’s median sits somewhat below the Texas and national medians, while its mean is closer to the national figure. Cost of living, the mix of employers, and the share of therapists in higher-paying settings all influence how an area compares.
Job Outlook
Beyond current pay, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects employment of massage therapists to grow 15 percent from 2025 to 2035, a rate the Bureau describes as much faster than the average for all occupations. The Handbook attributes the projected growth to increasing acceptance of massage as part of health care and wellness routines, and it notes that openings also arise as therapists leave the occupation or retire. A projection is an estimate based on current trends, not a guarantee of openings in any specific city or year.
What Affects a Massage Therapist’s Pay
- Work setting. Therapists work in spas, health clubs, medical practices, chiropractic offices, hotels, and private practice. Settings differ in how they pay — some pay hourly wages, some pay per session, and some combine wages with commissions or tips.
- Experience and specialization. Therapists who build a steady client base or add skills such as deep tissue, sports massage, or prenatal work may be able to charge more or qualify for roles that pay more.
- Employment versus self-employment. An employed therapist trades some control for a steadier schedule, while a self-employed therapist sets rates but covers their own rent, supplies, insurance, marketing, and taxes.
- Hours worked. Annual figures assume full-time work, but many massage therapists work part-time schedules, which lowers annual earnings even when the hourly rate is the same.
An Important Note About the Data
OEWS estimates are based on surveys of employers, so they cover wage and salary workers. They do not include self-employed massage therapists, whose income is not reported through employer payrolls. Because a meaningful share of therapists run their own practices, the OEWS figures describe the employed side of the local market rather than every therapist working in San Antonio.
Training for This Work in San Antonio
Massage therapists in Texas must be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and licensure starts with completing an approved training program. The schools profiled on this site — Academy for Massage Therapy Training, River City School of Massage Therapy, and Milan Institute — each describe their programs, schedules, and costs on their profile pages. Reading pay data alongside program costs gives a more complete picture of the investment involved, and speaking with each school about its current tuition and terms is the way to confirm the details before enrolling.
Using These Numbers as You Plan
Treat the BLS figures as a reference point for typical pay in the area rather than as the outcome of any single program. When you compare schools, weigh program cost and schedule against the median and mean wages above, and ask employers you hope to work for how their pay is structured — hourly, per session, or a combination — so the numbers you plan around reflect how local therapists are actually paid.