# Will massage therapists be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Massage therapists score 20 of 100 for AI exposure. 55% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 8% today and speed up another 37%. - **8%** AI can do it - **37%** AI helps - **55%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 79% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 14 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 8 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Maintain treatment records. Treatment notes are text-based; AI scribes can draft them. | 72% AI can do it | | Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used. AI drafts plans from notes; therapist tailors and approves them. | 55% AI helps | | Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises. AI can write exercise handouts; demonstration still needs a person. | 40% AI helps | | Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary. Referral decisions need judgement; AI can draft referral letters. | 30% AI helps | | Consult with other health care professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians, and psychologists, to develop treatment plans for clients. Coordinating with clinicians is mostly live; AI can summarize records. | 30% AI helps | ## How massage therapists compare All occupations (923) Healthcare support (19) **Massage therapists score 20**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 26 for healthcare support. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $58,450 a year, May 2025 People employed 98,790 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +15.3% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Write and check treatment notes in WinCity Massage SOAP Notes - Tailor treatment plans in Massage Suite before client sign-off - Assess range of motion and muscle strength manually - Hold a current state massage therapy licence - Teach stretching and rehabilitative exercises in person - Coordinate plans with physiotherapists and chiropractors ## Safer roles nearby 2 related occupations with lower scores. - [Physical therapist assistants19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/physical-therapist-assistants/) - [Physical therapist aides19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/physical-therapist-aides/) ## Questions about massage therapists and AI Will AI replace massage therapists? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining treatment records and drafting client treatment plans. The hands-on massage, the core of the job, stays with people because kneading soft tissue needs a physical person in the room. Which tasks is AI taking over for massage therapists? Maintaining treatment records scores 72 on exposure, because notes are text and AI scribes can draft them. Developing treatment plans scores 55, since AI drafts plans from notes while the therapist tailors and approves them. Giving postural and stretching guidance scores 40, because AI can write exercise handouts. Which massage therapist tasks stay human? Massaging muscles and soft tissue scores 2 on exposure, because kneading needs a physical person. Applying pressure to specific body points also scores 2, and treating clients in person or on home visits scores 3, since both are purely physical work. How can massage therapists stay valuable? Keep the hands-on work, which scores 2 to 4 on exposure, at the center of each booking. Use AI to draft notes, then check and sign each one in WinCity Massage SOAP Notes. Tailor every AI-drafted plan in Massage Suite to the client's pain history and medical limits. Demonstrate exercises in person, since demonstration stays human. ## Related jobs - [Occupational therapy assistants27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/occupational-therapy-assistants/) - [Skincare specialists24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skincare-specialists/) - [Respiratory therapists24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/respiratory-therapists/) - [Nurses36 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/nurses/) ## Next steps for massage therapists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.