I work to complete exhaustion of my body & mind & soul EVERY FUCKING DAY. People drain my very SOUL and ALL my muscles. Do you think there should not be a high value placed on that?? I give my absolute ALL to appreciative repeat customers, and you think that’s not worth a living wage?

Okay, that’s not what I said. Of course you should be paid a living wage for the work that you do. Especially the time that you put in. Time is the most valuable thing IMO, because we only have a certain amount of it in life. And I have two kids I’d like to spend as much time with as I can before they grow up, so I can definitely feel the time-is-money aspect.

To me, it sounds like you don’t really like this work very much? If it drains you as much as you vehemently expressed, and it doesn’t pay you enough to even have a home to live in, why do you do it? I wouldn’t do it. 😐

What is your opinion of massage therapists?

I have no opinion one way or another regarding massage therapists, specifically. I’ve never gone and had a massage before. My sister-in-law is a certified massage therapist, but works as a district nurse. She’s nice. I like her. 🤷‍♂️🙂

Maybe you think massage therapists are only worth pennies because perhaps you have some stereotypical perception of submissive Asian ladies who you can’t communicate with due to language barrier, so they don’t talk and they were raised with a slave work ethic mindset.

Wow. What? No. Let’s pump the brakes here. That didn’t even cross my mind. I was very positive about your profession from the start, remember?

Hell they might even be trafficking slaves who barely get paid because they’re illegally massaging without licences.

Holy hell. I hope not.

Yesterday I had to renew my bi-annual massage license which cost $330 which is 2-3 days of net pay for me. That hurt a lot because I’m still trying to pay off my credit card after getting new belts on my vehicle & rear differential service & brake fluid exchange & coolant flushing & pinion seal repair & new key fob all at once which cost $4700, and I fucking LIVE in this car because my job doesn’t pay me enough to afford rent or mortgage anywhere.

Yeah, that is awful. What is it they say? Everyone is one medical issue or car repair away from financial ruin? It’s an awful situation. Especially when your workplace or clients don’t pay you enough to make a living. I’m really sorry you are in that predicament. ❤️

$330 which is 2-3 days of net pay for me

I did some fast math on that, and that got me to about $27 per client on average? Is that about right? That sounds absolutely disgustingly low. A massage where I live is like $50–70 for 30 minutes, I believe. You’d have around $950–1,000 a day with that kind of price. That’s more than what I make as a software developer consultant, which are notoriously more expensive than regular employees. So that should be a very good salary to aim for, IMO. You could buy a house in the city by yourself with that kind of money where I live.

But like. You want $1,000 per client. Which would be $5,000 a day. That’s a lot. A lot lot. Realistically. I understand housing prices can be ridiculous in some cities around the world. Are you maybe in one of those types of places where you need $5,000 a day to live in a small apartment and eat proper meals? Maybe somewhere in LA or something? 😬

I’m a Caucasian American girl who grew up surrounded by millionaires and I paid $10k out of my own pocket to graduate from an accredited massage school in Falls Church Virginia near where the Kennedy family lived during Kennedy’s presidency. I eat clean & exercise hard & painstakingly maintain my mesomorphic 104 lb tiny frame. Jaws drop & heads turn whenever I walk by people, and they know I work hard for all this. And I know my value.

I— I don’t know the relevancy of all those details, especially your race. Are you saying that because you’re Caucasian and have a mesomorphic body type, and that you’re tiny, that you are worth more? I hope that’s not what you’re saying.

What I do imagine is that growing up “surrounded by millionaires” might not grant someone with the best perception of the value of a dollar? So maybe since all the people around you had millions of dollars you also expect to be paid in the millions every year? As a massage therapist?

I grew up with my single mom, we didn’t have much. I wanted something, I’d have to save up, or wait for Christmas and maybe get that thing. Maybe a birthday. We lived small. My mom managed to move us to a house that’s like two houses/homes in one shared building, kind of half-half split down the middle with an internal wall. That’s when I had already spent half my time living with her before moving out. Anyway. I grew up knowing the value of money. I’m very frugal. Keeping close tabs on all my expenses compared to my income. Knowing the value of money, yadda yadda.

I give my all to my job, my body-mind-soul yet they do not pay me enough to live comfortably. They pay me enough to live in my car and buy enough food to survive.

On this, I am fully on your side. They need to pay you enough for you to be able to live in an apartment at least. That is completely unacceptable. At least if you work full-time with this. That’s crazy, and I would definitely find other work if I were you. That’s nonsense salary, in all honesty. I hope it works out better for you, because you do deserve to have a home and a life.

Maybe open up your own place, if possible? 🥲