Will AI replace massage therapists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 35m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 25m (93%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 15.3% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 35m of a typical shift. 2 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body. (36m a shift; e.g. Aescape (Aertable), in use)

7h 25m of a typical shift, or 93%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance. (3h 51m a shift)
• Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful. (36m a shift)
• Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment. (36m a shift)
• Maintain treatment records. (27m a shift)
• Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used. (18m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 85% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 81% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 77% work at arm's length or closer to other people

On Indeed, job postings in the Medical Technician sector are at 125% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 2.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 20,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $58,450 a year ($28.10 an hour), 15% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,640 and $100,200 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 15.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 179,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 20,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 99,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.06% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 276th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 179,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-secondary certificate: about 73% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 25m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Physical Therapist Aides (15m touched, $35k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 13 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.