The Spa College Blog

Being a massage therapist seems like a great career. But to be successful and stay in the profession over time takes some understanding and planning. This article addresses some of the concerns in developing a successful massage therapy practice.

One would think at first glance, that being a massage therapist is a great way to do wonderful things for people and make a good living. Massages are priced at anywhere from $70 and hour to $100 for an hour. And besides a massage table for a few hundred dollars, sheets and oils there is not much more that needs to be purchased. Does that not translate into a substantial amount of money in your pocket?

Well, the reality is often very different than what some imagine when they consider this profession, and if you are thinking of making massage therapy a career, there are some things you need to know.

I have been a massage therapist for ovr 10 years. I know many therapists and as a massage instructor, I am in touch with many of my students. Being connected with the reality of massage therapy has not only helped me understand the dynamics, but also aided me in developing my own practice when needed. Some of those insights I would like to share here.

One of the more disturbing issues is that many therapists only last a few years on the job, if they can even get their feet on the ground to generate an adequate income.

So what seems to be the problem?

As a therapist you are either employed (even if your employer calls you an “independent contractor”) or self-employed (or maybe you are like many colleagues a combination of both). Even if you are employed at a spa facility, gym, chiropractor or other health and wellness operation, chances are you will have private clients outside of your job and juggle a few different venues which puts you in a position of managing your own supplies, transportation, taxes and so on. The first mistake that many therapists make, is that they neglect to see themselves as a business.

Many small (and larger) businesses make the exact same mistake when they launch their venture: They fail to plan their business and fail at their business. When therapists leave the field it is primarily for one reason: They do not make enough money to pay the bills.

Step One View yourself as a business.

What this means is that you need to balance your income with your expenses and write a business plan for yourself. In order to stay afloat your income must match your expenditures that include every single expense from supplies, to the amount of money you need to have at your disposal to pay the rent, your car, your clothes and your pet food as well as resources for the future.

Step Two: Write a business plan.

When you start writing your business plan and ask yourself the question: How many sessions can I do every day, you might discover some interesting facts about your business. You may find one of the reasons why therapists have a hard time making ends meet and ultimately leave the field: You can physically only do a certain number of sessions in any given time period due to the sheer physical and emotional challenges that of this work. Right now you might not think so but and still experience a rush doing 4 or 5 sessions a day. But imagine doing this day in, day out for years. Not really an option, is it?

What this means is your income from massage work is restricted by the number of sessions you can offer. Finding this out in the planning phase is a huge advantage because it means you can prepare for the reality of only doing a few sessions a day.

If you wait until you are active in your practice, one of two things might happen: You will either perform too many sessions because you need the money and sooner or later burn out and leave the profession or you will leave the profession to find another job.

Part of your realization might also be that you will have to charge more than you anticipated for a massage. And you should. As a business you cannot afford to subsidize your livelihood.

The second issue that many therapists face is that they perceive a contradiction between the type of work they do and selling their services. I discuss this at length in my book: The Successful Therapist, but one of realizations I had is that I cannot be of service if I cannot sustain myself through the work. And looking at it from this point of view was very helpful.

Step Three: Develop a massage marketing plan
Clients do not just walk through the door. You have to attract them and then retain them. There are many ways to advertise your services and as many ways to spend a lot of money with no results. Before you spend any money, spend some time thinking what kind of client you want to work with and what solution you offer to a problem that they specifically have.

Then spend some time formulating that solution as a headline. I spent some time in Australia and worked out of a small bookstore in a crowded pedestrian area. My sign on the street said: “Relieve your headache in 15 minutes” and it worked. There were enough people with headaches mulling around and not enjoying their shopping experience. The reality is that no one cares about you. They care about what you can do for them.

Once you know what solutions you offer it will be much easier to target those people directly and efficiently. Visit your local hotel and talk with the concierge about referring clients to you. Visit senior citizens homes and assisted living for seniors’ massage and offer the people who work there a referral fee. Talk to the HR department of a large company to offer an introduction to in-house chair massage. Go to pre-natal yoga classes with flyers to offer pregnancy massage. Etc.

Step Four: Plan for additional revenue streams.
Even though you might be doing all the massages you can and want to do, you will definitely want to have additional income resources in place to utilize the client contact you have through your massage traffic and marketing activities. There are many ways to do this for example retail related products. But there is also one idea that I want to suggest here: Offering spa treatments. Spa treatments not only capture a clientele that might not want a massage but they also add to your reputation, are much less taxing on the body and offer a very nice way to promote products you can sell after the treatment.

Nicolay Kreidler is a licensed massage therapist and instructor at Spa College and Touching from the Heart. He is an active consultant to the spa industry and author of the book The Successful Massage Therapist” now available as ebook through Spa Pros”

Niche Marketing for Massage Therapists

Therapists often have an inherent resistance to “selling” themselves. If you find yourself reading this article: Congratulations! And just so you know, you are not selling out. You are providing a communications platform so that those who need your services can actually find you. That is a service in itself.

There is a logical principle that if you solve a client’s problem better than your competition, under the same conditions (price, availability etc.) and communicate this to your potential clients, success (however you define this for yourself) is unavoidable. This simple statement opens up a whole drawer of possibilities of refining your communications practice to attract more of what you want.

Define problem?

What many do not realize is that it is not the product or service that the client desires, but rather the feeling, emotion and sensation that ensues when their problem is solved or improved. This should be the result of using the product or experiencing the service. A client’s problem is not finding a massage therapist. The client’s problem is that they are not feeling the way they would like to. And you might have the solution to that problem.

Here are some examples so you get the gist:
Starbucks does not sell coffee, they sell a community meeting place.
Mercedes does not sell cars, they offer status symbols.
Gatorade quenches thirst.

What is your solution?

Anticipating client problems, associating them with a demographic profile and offering a solution is essential to being able to address them successfully and critical to attracting that client group.

Every demographic has there own common set of problems. Yes, everyone is different, but based on commonalities such as age, profession, location and other keys we find that certain groups have similar needs. We often can define groups based on age, income, mobility, education, employment status, and even location.

Some examples of the more obvious groups are:
Seniors
Business people
Traveling business people
Pregnant women
Athletes

Some examples of the less obvious are:
People with fibromyalgia
Children with Down syndrome
Runners
Bikers
Shoppers
Young parents
Bereaved parents
Business leaders
Chemically sensitive
Hospice care
Cancer survivors

What does this mean for your practice?

When you define your product or service, think about what you really provide. You may not always be able to directly call it by its name, but you should try to get as close to describing it as possible.

And then think about whom you can really relate too. Often this is based on your own life experiences during which you developed a deep understanding of a situation and are relaxed about it. It’s important that you can relate without judgment to others experiencing the same situation and dealing with these people will not pose a difficult situation for you. The area where you can develop a deep rapport, is where you will likely be most successful.

The more accurately you can define your solution to an existing problem, the easier it is to communicate with your target market. Does that make sense? If you know that you are catering to senior citizens, it is easier to find out where the congregate, which publications they read and what other forms of communication they tend to prefer. It is also much easier to formulate the solution(s) you offer.

The question is always: How can I improve the client’s experience in their current state by guiding them to a future state in which they have a better experience of themselves.

The next question is: How can I convey this information to them?

While there are many details that can be refined in this process it is important to return to the original thought of: “What problem am I solving here”. I find that there are primary issues and secondary issues and sometimes even a third or fourth layer that offer opportunities to provide a unique service.

Let me provide an example.
Most likely the primary reason your client is showing up (for the first time) is that they have a PAIN in their …. . Probably one of the main reasons is that they have not spent the time to RELAX and by booking a massage they are giving themselves permission to do so. Maybe underneath all that is that they find themselves in a situation that will not allow them to take TIME AWAY from the circumstances and by visiting you they are doing so.

While the primary issue is often addressed by many: example: “relieve your pain with massage therapy”, secondary and tertiary layers often go unmentioned.

For example: “Get immediate relief from your migraine headache, relax deeply and give yourself the time out you deserve”.

Now, if your communication says (and this is a real example):

“[Name Removed] Massage Therapy is one of the more experienced massage practices in Los Angeles (located in North End, LA). I draw from 23 years of experience in healing work and massage therapy and a strong, intuitive, compassionate, and uniquely healing touch. I am versed in Swedish, Sports Massage, Deep Tissue, On-site Chair Massage, and Energy Healing.”

This statement not only requires the client to figure out on their own what the benefits are, but also leaves everything open to interpretation.

Would it not be better to say the following?:
“If you are looking for someone who will really listen to you and knows how sensitive you are, can alleviate the little aches and pains with comforting touch and send you off feeling like a new person, your should call … for a free consultation.”

Nicolay Kreidler is a licensed massage therapist and instructor at Spa College and Touching from the Heart. He is an active consultant to the spa industry and author of the book The Successful Massage Therapist” now available as ebook through Spa Pros”