Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

[Sam L]

Over the years, my practice has fluctuated as to which day is better for business, but the best hours of the day to be open for business have remained quite consistent.

I was thinking about placing a poll, but then, it may be a little hard to set one up easlily, since preferred hands-on work hours can vary drastically for each therapist. But, if I can think of something simple, I'll add one.

I'm aware that some of us don't practice regular "business" hours, but I hope you will join in anyway, so that it may help others out there who are on their journey.

I'm hoping this will help some of our student members who are new to the forums. If I can find any links to similar past threads, I'll add them too.

Questions (food for thought) -

1. Hands-on work hours:

• How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?

• Please provide the number that is preferred to fill a day - with additional explanations of taking more or less clients to follow, if you want to clarify.

2. Business days:

• Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.

• For some people this may fluctuate greatly, but I'd love to get an idea of what you consider your prime work days. If it certain days fluctuate regarding client mood, I'd be interested to hear about that too. Feel free to add any extra information about work days that you can think about in this section of the questionairre.

3. Business hours:

• What hours have you found work best for your practice?
• What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?
• Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?
• If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?

• Again, please feel free to elaborate.

11/15/10 - edited fot typos in topic title and text

 

[EatDaCakeAnnieMay!]

Best Days & Times for a Consitent (Booked) Day

I'll start!

1. How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?

I prefer to do 5 hands on hours per day.

I am my happiest at 5 hours of massage 4-5 days per week. Of course, sometimes I may have to see more people in a day, because I didn't have enough clients earlier in the week.

Varients of what I can do that does not hurt me:

• One day of 7 hours, and various other work for the next few days, consisting of no more than 5 hours for the days to follow.
• Three days of 6 hours each, with the next two days to consist of either 4 or 5 hours (this is a close to max-out for me, nowdays).
• Five days of 5 hours each, with a variant of allowing for one 6 hour day, as long as there is some swedish work on that 6 hour day.

2. Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.

Currently my sequential order of best to worst, would be:

• Friday
• Sunday
• Thursday (can alternate with Wed)
• Saturday
• Wednesday (alt Thurs).

That changes intermittently depending on when a new client comes into our practice who may be better fit for one or another day, or time period. But, my Fridays and Sundays are consistently booked full with 6 people and generally most of those appointments are booked a few weeks in advance. Thursdays and Saturdays seem to be about 70% interchangable for the particular clients who come on those days. Wednesday clients, as a general observation, seem to rarely come in on a different day.



3. What hours have you found work best for your practice?

Wednesday - Sunday: 11am to 8pm.

I generally only see clients in-house from 11am-3pm on Saturdays, leaving the evening for my outcalls. I have a weekly outcall and will be at their home between 5:30 and roughly 9-10pm. When they don't need me, I open the office to clients for the full day, and I have noticed that when an in-house client has a choice of Sat. morning or evening in the office, they will usually choose sometime between 2pm and 6pm.

Almost two years ago, I started taking clients on Sundays. First it was once every 6 weeks. Then it was once a month. That grew to once every 2 weeks. Now, for the past year, it has been every week. I am booked solid every Sunday (5-6 hours of massage), and usually booked out 2 weeks in advance for a Sunday.


What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?

Monday evenings, and Tuesday afternoons.

Because I live about 45 mins. from the office, I don't generally accept appointments on these days. However, if I have the time and can come up with a reason to be on that side of town, I may be in the office for a Tuesday appointment once ever few months - at which point, I will book the day out in advance.

Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?

Yes. I added Sundays.

If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?

Initially:
Tuesday -Friday: 11am - 8pm
Saturday: 2pm - 6pm

Secondarily:
Thursday - Sunday - 11am - 8pm

 

[diosaalx6]

Best Days & Times for a Consitent (Booked) Day

Per Pueppi's request, here's my quote from the Communication's policy thread:

My weekends are inconsistant in more ways than one. I work either Saturday or Sunday each weekend and it rotates. It has more to do with the fact that I share the room I rent with another MT, so we negotiate our schedules. It's give and take. I was looking back at my Sundays. Going backwards in time...I did 4 1/2hrs last Sun, 3hrs before that, 5 hours, 3 hours.. Not bad days as I consider my ideal a 4 hour massage day. Saturdays have been inconsistant too. Yesterday was 7hrs (I'm pooped), 2 weeks ago was 4hrs, before that was 5hrs, and so on...5hrs, 3hrs. It's looks like my Saturdays have the edge.

My most successful day has been my Mondays. I work 2pm to 8pm or 8:30pm and I am usually either completed booked in advance or filled up by the time I start at 2pm. I end up doing 5 to 5 1/2hrs every Monday.

 

[__A_YAHOO_USER__]

Best Days & Times for a Consitent (Booked) Day

1. Hands-on work hours:

•How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?
My preference is 4 hours, 4 days a week to total 16. 5 hours still feels good and I will do up to 7 hours to make up for slow days or build up for future slow days. I can do a couple big days in a row, but I really need a day of rest after that or a short day. I find when I do the 6 & 7 hour days I am more emotionally drained than on the 4 hrs days.


2. Business days:

•Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.
Monday
Saturday
Friday
Sunday
Tuesday

This has fluctuated this past year. I have just finished year one as being a room renter in the chiropractor's office. It' will be interesting to see next years results.

When I was an employee in 2009:
Satruday - Sunday tied
Friday
Monday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Thursday


3. Business hours:

•What hours have you found work best for your practice?

These are my current hours and I am still figuring out if they are best:
Mon 2-8pm
Tues 3-8pm
Fri 10/11am - 7 / 8pm
alt Sat/Sun 10/11 to 7/8
My Fridays and Sat/Sunday are my flexible days. Sometimes I do 5 in row, sometimes it's split shift with a 2 hour break, and sometimes it's not busy enough to matter.

•What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?
There's been a handful of patients of the chiro that want to see me, but end up seeing my co-renter on my days off on Wed and Thurs. They usually are the clients who wait until the last minute and I am usually booked on the days they want to get in.

•Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?
To Some degree, I work earlier than I would like on Fri & Sat/Sun. I prefer starting at 2pm, but I come in at 10 or 11 to meet the needs of my clients who prefer morinings.

•If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?
My hours have only changed based on my needs. I match my "weekend" of Wed & Thurs with my husbands days off.

What have been your best months?
I thought I'd add that in

May and October. I pretty much did the same amount of hours at 70 and 71, but May was actually better because I also took almost two weeks off totaling 7 of my working days that month.

 

[onlycrazyboy777]

Best Days & Times for a Consitent (Booked) Day

1. Hands-on work hours:

•How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?
5 hours is ideal for me.

2. Business days:

•Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.

Friday and Tuesday are consistently booked 6 to 7 hours from 8:30 am to 6:00pm as my last appt time.
Monday and Saturday is hit and miss for 5 hours of work. Today was rainy with 2 cancellations. But I find that ppl are most likely to cancel on Mondays or Saturdays.
Wednesday is my light day as I try to book my 75 - 90 year olds on that day so I can take my time, and give them plenty of time to regroup after the massage. I have one 78 and one 92 year old who rarely miss their appointments.
Thursday I travel to my parent's house and massage them and one more client.
Sundays OFF



3. Business hours:

•What hours have you found work best for your practice?
Mon, Tues, Friday 8:00 to 6:00
Wed. 9:00 - 4:00
Sat 9:00 - 4:00

•What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?
I travel an hour to my Mom's on Thursdays but due to client's needs, started seeing (periodically) two clients (at my shop) that morning before I left. No shows made it soooo not worth my while, so I no longer book appts at the shop on that day.



•Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?
I used to have Wed off but due to demand started working that day... but I keep it light.


What have been your best months?
Certificate-wise December. Massage-wise February and May. January is busy too but not money-wise (GC's being honored from Christmas)

 

[fmko ( ??????????????)]

Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

Questions (food for thought) -

1. Hands-on work hours:

I prefer no more then 5 hours but many days I only do 3.5. (Explanation to follow)

2. Business days:

In my private practice, the busiest day can be Saturday but it really does vary. The way I schedule, if other days are busier, then I just won't schedule as many clients on Saturday.

I also work Mon - Friday at a local company, I am the resident massage therapist. I am always there from 11-2:30 and one evening 5-7. So at the private office, I schedule around that.

3. Business hours:
What hours have you found work best for your practice?

As stated above, my schedule is all over the place. Might take a morning client, head to the company, ect. Or leave the company for the private office.

What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?

Friday or Saturday evening. Might be changing that, offering some Friday evenings.

Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?

All the time.
If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?

I do not remember.

Again, please feel free to elaborate.

Sorry I can't answer much better. As much as I would love a totally consistent schedule, it just doesn't happen.

 

[Psychodelic Chicken]

Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

1. Hands-on work hours:
How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?
I prefer 4 hours, but I vary from 3-7 often. Physically 7 is fine (thank you Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy!) but it drains me in other ways, so I cannot consistently do it.

2. Business days:
Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.
These days, I have very few slow days... in fact, they only occur if I have purposely scheduled them that way. But when I was still building my practice, I'd say it was the following:
Friday
Saturday
Thursday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Monday

Fridays have always been good days for me because the large corporation who employs most of my clientelle has "summer hours" half the year, so they only work till noon on Fridays.

3. Business hours:
What hours have you found work best for your practice?
Tuesday-Friday
1:30-7pm
What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?
Mondays & Saturdays - I haven't worked Mondays for a couple of years, and just recently started taking Saturdays off.
I still get the occasional client who wants me to come in at 8am... um, NO thank you!!!
Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?
Yes
If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?
When building my clientelle, I worked Monday through Friday, 10am-8pm, and Saturdays 10am-3pm. I would alternate between taking Mondays & Saturdays off - that way, each day was still available twice a month for my clients, but I still got a break too. It worked out well, but it did sometimes fall so that I only had Sunday off as the Saturday before and the Monday after were my working days.

 

[Pink Taco]

Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

Excellent thread!
Thinking back to the good old days...
Sometimes I get a little nostalgic
(Some of you know, some of you may not: my husband and I are both LMTs who became DCs last year. My husband does ALL the adjusting, and I do ALL nutrition/Functional Medicine. I was in private practice from 2004-April 2010 as an LMT; husband handled spillover when needed. We opened our own private alternative medicine practice in April of this year.)

1. Hands-on work hours:

• How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?

The ideal day, I preferred about 4-6 hours of massage, depending on the type of work and (this may sound strange) the type of client. New clients took a bit more energy than established/regular ones. (It's not that I got complacent or careless, but it takes a lot less energy to work with someone with whom I was already familiar than it did to try and figure out and "read" a new client.) Certain types of deep tissue took less energy than lymphatic drainage. Talkative ones seemed to make the time pass faster than quiet ones. People with emotional baggage (I'm a little ultra-sensitive to that and I never did figure out a way to deal with it) take more energy than those without (or at least with less).

2. Business days:

• Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.

My best days were Tuesdays especially, followed by Wednesday, followed by Friday, then Monday, then Thursday, then Saturday (in private practice, at least - Saturdays were BOOKED TIGHT at the massage therapy facility I worked at, and they were the first to be filled, followed by Friday and then Wednesday and then Monday and then Tuesday, for some reason). I didn't work Sundays (the facility was closed and I also preferred to take Sundays off in private practice)--although sometimes I made exceptions and saw someone on a Sunday - but that would obviously be the last day in the order of preference For some reason, most of my regulars congregated to Tuesdays in the massage therapy world.

Things are slightly different now LOL - my husband, a DC, has patients that come in twice a week, and they usually gravitate toward either Mon/Thurs or Tues/Fri. Spaces things out nicely. Once-a-week patients or once-every-2-week patients generally have no preference. My Functional/Nutritional Medicine also shows no preference, although I tend to end up having appointments Tues, Wed, or Thurs most often. We do half-days on Fridays and we don't have weekend hours at all. (Although if an established patient or the referral of an established patient has a chiropractic emergency, we'll certainly come in to take care of it!)

3. Business hours:

• What hours have you found work best for your practice?
• What hours do your clients request that you have not accomodated?
• Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?
• If so, what were your hours prior to your current schedule?

Hmm... (thinking)...
Hours that worked best for me as an LMT actually depended on which city I was in LOL. I say this because my time was divided between home-based private practice and IC/renter work out of another facility. The facility was a school located in an inner-ring suburb, whereas my house was in an outer-ring suburb. I was in undergrad so I had class during the day and then I could get to the facility by 4pm, which is right about when the demand picked up, and I'd work until 8.30 when the placed closed. In private practice, I had a few people here and there who liked 4.30 spots (nothing earlier), but most people preferred the 6.30 spot (most popular) followed by the 8.30 spot in second place. I reckon it's worth mentioning that a vast majority of my massage visits were 90 min and I liked 30 min in between. Fridays the facility shut down at 5pm (hell on traffic on the way home LOL) so when I (finally) got home I could pick up at least one more massage, usually starting at 7pm and if I was really ambitious I could squeeze in a 9pm, too. Saturdays were 10-4 at the facility, and then when I got home I could do 1-2 more massages (usually a 5pm and a 7pm).

These days, our hours are Mon-Thurs 9-1 and 3-5.30, and Fri 9-1. That works very well. It allows us to go home for lunch and save A LOT of money by not eating out every day.

Requests not accommodated...
Well, I was kind of a pushover and I caved a lot. I also kept strange hours. So when I had a strange well-to-do couple who was very particular and what they wanted and when they wanted it, and they wanted 8pm on a Sunday night (back-to-back 90 mins, which meant that I didn't get home till after midnight after all was said and done), I caved. They paid well and in cash and although particular and not-the-happiest people, they were still rather pleasant to deal with.

However, I only did that for a while - when the earlier morning classes started hitting, I cut it off and said I either had to move the time up or forgo it. Things worked themselves out when I changed the rate structure of my outcalls anyway. And of course, other people asked for late nights (especially Friday, say 10pm) and I had some other strange (males) call me for outcalls on weekend nights - the calls would come in at 9.30 and the request would be for that night. Uhhh, no. I also unfortunately had to decline requests for anything before 3.30pm on weekdays due to school, but I didn't get many of those requests.

These days, current patients know our hours, but occasionally we'll get a new patient who asks for 2pm, or maybe they wonder how late we're open. Sometimes they wonder about Friday afternoons. Many Spanish-speakers wonder if we're open Saturdays. In San Antonio, Sundays are NOT a given like they seem to be everywhere else - you have to check your favorite restaurant's hours because very likely, they may not be open at all on Sunday. So obviously, NO ONE has asked us about Sundays LOL.

Switched hours...yeah, we did, actually. Not so much in the massage therapy world (we were so busy between massage, school, and other things that we took what we could when we could get it and we expected to put in long hours just because we had so much on our plate), but we have in the doctor world. In the beginning, we stayed open until 6.30pm on Mon and Wed. When we realized there was no demand, we trimmed it to 5.30pm. This is very much a eat-dinner-with-your-family kind of town.

 

[Val]

Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

How many hands-on massage hours do you (as a therapist) prefer to work in a day?

* I prefer to work about 5-7 hrs a day


Please provide a list in order of best (most regularly booked) days to worst days.

* This list is from Jan thru September 2011 (I've got clients scheduled out through Sept so I went ahead and counted it in).

Thursday
Friday & Wed tied
Tuesday
Monday


What hours have you found work best for your practice?

I work 10am and take the last client at 7pm (sometimes 7:30). Many clients like the after work hours b/c I do not work on weekends. I've thought about coming in earlier and ending the work day earlier but then I would have to not only drive in morning rush hour to get to my office, but work on weekends to accommodate my working clients. My husband & I prefer to spend our weekends together.

I also take a 30-45 min break between each client & one hour out for lunch.


What hours do your clients request that you have not accommodated?

* I've only had one client mention once they wished I worked on Saturdays, but she is a regular weekly client, so my business with her is not affected by me not taking that request.



Have you ever switched your hours, depending on overall client needs?

Generally, I don't switch my hours. However, I have come in earlier a couple times for a regular who had been injured & needed some weekly sessions. I was booked out for a few weeks, so I came in early so the client wouldn't miss their weekly sessions.



Noticed the busiest months question- every month is busy, except for the months where I take off for vacation time which are March (1-2 weeks), December (2 weeks), May (1-2 weeks).

Of the 12 years I have been practicing massage, No matter where I've worked, I've been fortunate enough that I am able to quickly build a solid client base. So I can say that the only consistent slow(er) periods I have (not included my vacation times) are in late Aug/early Sept and around tax season.

 

[XYZ]

Best Days & Times for a Consistent (Booked) Day

Cross-link:

• When are your busiest days?