What is the average sports massage therapist salary? (UK)

Pinpointing the average sports massage therapist salary in the UK can be tricky, as several factors come into play.

That said, by looking at the information available online and with our specialist industry knowledge, you can better understand how much you could expect to earn as a sports massage therapist, wherever and however you decide to work.

Here’s everything you need to know about the average sports massage therapist salary, plus advice on how to maximise yours.

How much does a sports massage therapist earn in the UK?

According to Payscale, sports massage therapists can earn anywhere between £20k-83k, so it’s a pretty broad range. Glassdoor provides similar numbers, with £38k coming out as the average yearly amount.  

However, your earning potential isn’t necessarily limited to this range. Since you can branch out on your own as a self-employed therapist and create your own hourly rate, the world is your oyster—but more on this later.

What factors affect a sports massage therapist salary?

There are three main points that can impact how much you earn as a sports massage therapist:

• location
• qualifications and knowledge
• experience level

Your location matters, as salaries can vary depending on where you live and work, and the cost of living and competition in your area.

In terms of qualifications and knowledge, you don’t necessarily need a degree to become a sports massage therapist—but you do require a Level 3 vocational qualification.

However, if you hold a higher level qualification, such as Level 4, you may be able to justify charging a higher rate for your services than competitors. Or, you may be able to negotiate a better salary from your employer (if you’re not freelance or self-employed).

The same applies to your experience level—the more experienced you are, the greater your salary (in theory, at least).

Sports massage therapist salary as an employee

When you work for an employer, your earnings will be limited as your employer will also need to take their share.

However, as with many other professions, a certain level of security comes with being employed. Besides the peace of mind of a consistent, stable income, full-time employees are also entitled to things like:

• holiday pay
• sick pay
• workplace pensions

If you’re new to the industry, your starting salary as a sports massage therapist will likely be around £18k-£22k, increasing with experience.

Depending on factors such as your location or your employer’s business model, you could see yourself earning around £30k-40k once you’ve got a few years of experience under your belt.

Self-employed salary for sports massage therapists

Sports massage therapist pay can skyrocket if you go down the self-employed route, but it takes a lot of work and dedication to make this happen.

Most self-employed massage therapists charge around £35-£50 per hour for their services.

Charging this rate may feel as though you’re earning a fortune. But when you consider outgoings, such as rent, equipment, or tax, you’ll see it takes time to create a viable business plan.

You’ll also need to invest a lot of time into marketing and advertising your business and planning for slower periods when your client base dwindles.

You may decide the employed route is the best option when starting out before branching out with your own business model with a few years of experience and more industry knowledge.

Opportunities to boost your sports massage therapist salary

Whether you’re ready to go down the self-employed route or you’re thinking of setting up your own clinic, there are several ways to boost your salary as a sports massage therapist.

Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. Strategic pricing

When done correctly, this is one of the most effective ways to increase your salary as a sports massage therapist.

Package deals are particularly fruitful for attracting and retaining new clients. This involves presenting your services as part of a ‘package’, which costs more than a single session yet provides clients a slight discount.

If a client chooses this, you’ll sign them up for multiple sessions, which means you’re earning more from one client without having to sign up three in one go.

This saves them money and makes signing up for multiple sessions more tempting, especially since clients usually want more than one sports massage at a time.

2. Simultaneously working as a personal trainer

Your earning potential as a personal trainer is unlimited, as you can take your services online and work with clients anywhere.

Not everyone can or wants to do this, of course, but even adding more strings to your bow by working as a personal trainer in a gym, for example, can improve your salary as a sports massage therapist.

Finding a niche fitness market can also be a valuable business strategy, as it makes it easier to stand out against the competition. Indeed, you’re a sports massage therapist by trade, but you may want to refine this even further and focus on a specific niche, such as training clients who are recovering from an injury, for example.

That way, you can refer clients between the two services—cross-selling your offerings and potentially doubling your income!

Check out our separate guide on the essential tools needed to build a successful sports massage therapy business.

3. Learning basic marketing skills

Marketing is invaluable to the success of your business, even if you only operate in your local community.

Establishing yourself as your area’s go-to sports massage therapist will win you the most clients. You can stand out against the crowd by choosing a specific niche to work with, even in a saturated market.

There’s too much to cover in this article, but the main areas to focus on should include:

• growing your social media presence
• creating and distributing business cards
• establishing a referral scheme to encourage clients to refer their friends
• optimising your website to appear in relevant search results for your local area (e.g., 'sports massage therapist Merseyside')

Ensure you perform in-depth competitor research before creating a marketing plan, too.

That way, you’ll have a clearer vision of where your business fits into the market and be able to define your unique selling point. This is one of the best ways to establish and grow a strong client base.

Specialist sports massage insurance through Insure4Sport

Working as a sports massage therapist can be incredibly rewarding, but it also presents certain risks, which is why you may want to consider specialist sports massage insurance.

At Insure4Sport, we arrange up to £10m of Public Liability and £1m Professional Indemnity cover, which protects you from claims made following treatment you’ve provided to a client.

Learn more about sports massage insurance and get a quote online today.