Average Massage Therapist Salary in China for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Massage Therapist salary for 2024 in China and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Chinese yuan. To keep things simple, we are using the CNY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Massage Therapist Make in China?

A Massage Therapist working in China will typically earn around 200,000 CNY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 104,900 CNY to the highest average salary of 308,900 CNY.

Average Annual Salary
200,000 CNY
Average Monthly Salary
16,666 CNY

Lowest Annual Salary
104,900 CNY
Lowest Monthly Salary
8,741 CNY

Highest Annual Salary
308,900 CNY
Highest Monthly Salary
25,741 CNY

These are average salaries for a Massage Therapist in China and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Massage Therapist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Massage Therapist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Massage Therapist Salaries in China

So we've looked at the average salaries a Massage Therapist will earn in China. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Massage Therapist can earn between 104,900 CNY and 308,900 CNY on average in China. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Massage Therapist in China is 191,600 CNY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 191,600 CNY, and 50% of the population earn more than 191,600 CNY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Massage Therapist salary in China, 25% of the population are earning less than 134,600 CNY while 75% of the population earn more than 134,600 CNY.

75% of the population earn less than 239,000 CNY, and 25% of the population earn more than 239,000 CNY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Massage Therapist Salary by Experience Level in China

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average massage therapist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Massage Therapist in China that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 116,780 CNY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Massage Therapist salary would increase to 159,400 CNY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Massage Therapist, the average salary would be 207,800 CNY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 249,600 CNY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Massage Therapist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 275,200 CNY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Massage Therapist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 286,400 CNY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
116,780 CNY
2-5 Years +34%
159,400 CNY
5-10 Years +30%
207,800 CNY
10-15 Years +21%
249,600 CNY
15-20 Years +9%
275,200 CNY
20+ Years +5%
286,400 CNY

Massage Therapist Salary by Education Level in China

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Massage Therapist in China based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Massage Therapist in China with a high school education can earn an average salary of 138,800 CNY.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Massage Therapist in China with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 201,100 CNY.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Massage Therapist in China with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 277,400 CNY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
138,800 CNY
Certificate or Diploma +43%
201,100 CNY
Bachelor's Degree +38%
277,400 CNY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in China is around 146,000 to 439,000 CNY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Massage Therapist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In China, a male massage therapist will earn an average of 194,600 CNY, while a female massage therapist will earn around 209,700 CNY.

This means that a male massage therapist earns approximately 7% less than a female massage therapist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in China

Male
194,600 CNY
Female +7%
209,700 CNY

Massage Therapist Average Pay Raise in China

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Massage Therapist in China is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in China is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Massage Therapist in China can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in China for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in China.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
8%
Energy
7%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
5%
Travel
4%
Construction
3%
Education
2%

Massage Therapist Bonus and Incentive Rates in China

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Massage Therapist is a moderate bonus based job, with 53% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

47% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus
53%
No Bonus
47%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in China earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
362,200 CNY
Private Sector -6%
341,400 CNY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Massage Therapist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Massage Therapist in China.

Job Title Category Salary
Aromatherapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 376,800 CNY
Art Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 273,300 CNY
Assistant Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 273,000 CNY
Beauty Advisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 283,700 CNY
Beauty Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 320,500 CNY
Beauty Shop Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 192,600 CNY
Beauty Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 265,000 CNY
Beauty Supply Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 445,100 CNY
Beauty Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 279,400 CNY
Cosmetic Sales Fitness / Hair / Beauty 152,300 CNY
Cosmetologist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 233,600 CNY
Day Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 518,300 CNY
Esthetician Fitness / Hair / Beauty 125,100 CNY
Fitness and Wellness Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 288,700 CNY
Fitness Instructor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 191,600 CNY
Grooming Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 442,300 CNY
Hair Replacement Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 445,100 CNY
Hair Stylist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 152,000 CNY
Health Coach Fitness / Hair / Beauty 384,200 CNY
Health Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 413,900 CNY
Manicurist and Pedicurist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 102,720 CNY
Masseur Fitness / Hair / Beauty 172,400 CNY
Natural Remedy Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 378,300 CNY
Naturopath and Acupuncturist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 159,400 CNY
Occupational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 217,900 CNY
Occupational Therapy Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 159,500 CNY
Physical Therapy Attendant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 167,100 CNY
Recreational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 204,000 CNY
Salon Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 164,200 CNY
Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 430,000 CNY
Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 501,400 CNY
Spa Supervisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 392,300 CNY
Sport and Recreation Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 545,300 CNY
Tattoo Artist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 136,100 CNY
Weight Loss Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 464,900 CNY
Yoga Instructor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 311,700 CNY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in China, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Beijing 239,300 CNY
Changchun 207,800 CNY
Changsha 190,500 CNY
Chengdu 222,300 CNY
Chongqing 228,500 CNY
Dalian 189,300 CNY
Dongguan 205,700 CNY
Foshan 196,800 CNY
Fuzhou 183,700 CNY
Guangzhou 233,600 CNY
Hangzhou 233,900 CNY
Harbin 218,900 CNY
Jinan 227,600 CNY
Kunming 187,300 CNY
Nanjing 217,900 CNY
Qingdao 209,700 CNY
Quanzhou 180,300 CNY
Shanghai 233,600 CNY
Shantou 217,900 CNY
Shenyang 225,700 CNY
Shenzhen 204,000 CNY
Suzhou 215,100 CNY
Tianjin 225,300 CNY
Wenzhou 197,600 CNY
Wuhan 217,900 CNY
Wuxi 180,500 CNY
Xi an 228,500 CNY
Xiamen 180,500 CNY
Zhengzhou 174,000 CNY

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in China.

City Average Salary
Anhui 231,000 CNY
Beijing 183,700 CNY
Chongqing 209,700 CNY
Fujian 215,100 CNY
Gansu 192,600 CNY
Guangdong 252,300 CNY
Guangxi 221,500 CNY
Guizhou 197,600 CNY
Hainan 192,000 CNY
Hebei 233,600 CNY
Heilongjiang 201,100 CNY
Henan 247,800 CNY
Hubei 228,500 CNY
Hunan 221,500 CNY
Jiangsu 240,500 CNY
Jiangxi 217,900 CNY
Jilin 192,600 CNY
Liaoning 221,500 CNY
Nei Monggol 194,600 CNY
Ningxia 174,000 CNY
Qinghai 185,100 CNY
Shaanxi 208,600 CNY
Shandong 232,400 CNY
Shanghai 197,600 CNY
Shanxi 205,700 CNY
Sichuan 227,600 CNY
Tianjin 192,000 CNY
Xinjiang Uygur 190,500 CNY
Xizang [Tibet] 172,200 CNY
Yunnan 225,300 CNY
Zhejiang 222,300 CNY

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