Charging for Massage

[jennifer31]

I wanted to share this email article that I recently received.

I can so relate to this topic - I too have such a difficult time asking to be paid for my work and putting a realistic value. I guess somehow it seems to be an honor and priviledge to be a medium through which this gift can be shared or given to someone and make a difference. This article bring some practicality of the business aspect of our profession and I guess for some of us it is finding the balance; we do need to achieve financial success to be able to continue to do the work we do.

In This Issue:

"My New Friend Barry's Profound
Revelation About Achieving Success
As A Massage Therapist!"

******************************

You wouldn't believe how often practitioners
tell me how much they dislike the 'money'
aspect of being a Massage Therapist.

A number of practitioners have actually
told me they despise having to ask clients
for any sort of payment.

Sometimes I've had practitioners actually talk
about earning and spending money as if it's
something that's ethically wrong.

And here's my take on it...

It's nuts, just plain crazy.

It's a fatal limiting belief that will
absolutely hold those practitioners back
from ever achieving any significant level
of financial success.

And that's actually what Barry and I were
talking about while sitting in the middle
of the airport in Cleveland.

I had just finished explaining this
limiting belief concept to Barry, and what
came out of his mouth in response was just
profound.

Barry turned to me and calmly said,
"You know... what massage therapists need to
understand is that doing well, while doing
good, is okay."

And with that one little sentence, Barry
the professional financial planner, nailed it.

Why shouldn't you - as a professional massage
therapist - get paid well, earn a fantastic
living, have nice things, and enjoy the money
you earn?

You should. And you can.

What Barry was really saying was that it's
okay to do well for yourself financially when
you're doing good in the world.

It's okay to get paid very well when you
add even greater value to peoples lives.

And that's what you do.

Think about how much your services are worth
to the person who's suffering with chronic
back and neck pain day in and day out.

Think about how much your services are worth
to the person who's suffering with anxiety
everyday from overwhelming stress.

Think about how much your services are worth
to the person who's recovering from surgery.

How much do you think feeling better is worth
to each of those people?

When you help them, and you do, how much
value do you think those people would say
they've received from you?

Think about it.

It's a pretty simple takeaway message...

If you're doing lots of good it's okay to earn
lots of money.

It's even okay to think about and plan out how
you're going to do more and more good to earn
more and more money.

And that's the key... it's about looking to help
other people get what they want first.

Like famous author Zig Ziglar always says, "You
can have anything in life you want, if you can
help enough other people get what they want."

With that said, let me wrap up this Issue by
sharing with you one of the last thing's Barry
said to me before I had to run off to my gate to
catch my flight home.

He said, "Think about the American Cancer Society
and other non-profit organizations. They're
businesses. They have to make money. They have
to operate in the positive. They can't lose money,
or they become extinct."

"If they don't make money, they can't help anybody.
The more money they make, the longer they can
stay in business, and the more people they can
help.", he continued.

"Massage therapists need to look at it this way.
The more money they make, the more money they can
invest into growing a larger and larger practice,
and the more and more people they can help.
Period."

I agree and hope you do as well.

Until the next issue... do some good with massage...
and feel great getting paid well for it!

Todd Brown
- Dedicated to turning you and your massage practice
into an outragreous massage success story.


p.s. I hope this Issue will make you think
a bit more about your pricing.

Are you really charging enough for your services?

There's something really good about being the
most expensive practitioner in your town.

 

[Polgeria]

Good question MassageHound. This is a very thought provoking discussion. I really like what Barry has to say!

 

[Homer]

I've just relocated across the country and after I get licensed here, I will have to move on a plan. I've considered becoming non-profit to see if that would make a difference.

There is a chiropractic office I know of who is (or was --- been a long time for me to know what they are doing now -- but I can find out for you, if you wish), non-profit. From what I understand, it was a beneficial move for them.

As for the money issue, I would like to know if you work mainly on-site, out of your home or out of an "office-type" place, regarding your clients.

Depending on the set up, may depend on how to work with my idea.

For years, I had issues with taking money for services, but being poor for so long, only got old, and I had to get over it, if I wanted to keep doing what I love. It was that, or start looking for a full time "employed" job. This is of course, different than working elsewhere while getting my own business started, which I have done for a number of years, mainly d/t circumstance.

I agree with sagetherapist on getting a receipt going.

Since I am in an office, I have the luxury of having a nice receipt peg-board system, and I really suggest it, or that you have something looking like a sueforum.xxxill typeset in order to "bill" the client at the end of their visit..

It works great and is quite effortless. I finish the massage, I go out, write up the receipt, and place it on the counter with a bottle of water. When the client comes out, I ask them how they are feeling and make small chit-chat. They usually just grab the receipt and start writing out their check, hand me a credit card or give cash. Sometimes, if they are a bit foggy, they ask how much it is. It keeps the "asking" part out of the situation.

I do still have a problem with accepting tips. I don't know why, but I sort of feel like, I have provided the service for a certain fee, and I don't want people to feel "obligated" to give a tip, which I find many do, d/t going to spas where it is expected. But, if after explaining to them that a tip is not necessary, and for some reason they still want to, then I will accept it with a very grateful "thank-you".

I think something else to consider is if you work by a standard time frame or not. You mya just want to re-consider your fee structure. I know a lady who massages from her home. The massage may be 1hr and 15 mins --- up to almost 2 hours. It just depends on what she feels like she needs to do. The rate is a flat $100 no matter what.

A few ideas here to look at and piddle with until you find something that works for you.

I'd definitely suggest that if you travel, you take your "sueforum.xxxill" with you. And write out the receipt.

Another way of getting around the asking, and adding in more of a giving attitude with the payment, is to have CPT codes added onto the "sueforum.xxxill" for which you can let the client know, "most insurance companies don't reimburse - but you never know... my receipt has the massage code on it, so that if you turn it into your insurance company, you may get lucky with a reimbursement from them".

Just a few thoughts!

 

[Nasim]

I struggled with this same issue. I voiced this concern with my therapist (not massage, one that's helping me with some business/organization issues). What she said was that I needed to think of myself as professional. What I do is a profession. Not a job, not work but a profession. Professionals charge for the services they perform and the time they give you.

A psychiatrist or a clinical therapist doesn't really do anything but ask the right questions at the right time. Helps you see or think of things in a different way. They also give you things to work on, mental and emotional exercises. They help you heal mentally/emotionally. A massage therapist does much the same work but on a physical/emotional and sometimes mental level. We help out clients experience and feel their bodies in a different way.

I was uncomfortable asking for payment for my skills until I started thinking of myself as a professional. Another incident that helped me change my thinking was when a client gave me a $100 bill for a $55/hr session. All he had was a crick in his neck! I was shocked and told him it was too much, he insisted. Later on I realized that if he valued my skill and services that much, then maybe I should too.

What it boils down to for me is this. What I do seems easy to me, that's because it is a skill and intuitive ability that not very many have. It is like being an artist, or a musician, or a singer. Society places a value on skills that few people have.

I also think of them as paying for my time. The opportunity costs. If I wasn't there with them giving them my time and skill what could I being doing with my free time?

 

[NOt Me]

Everybody's coming out of the wood work, now, lol : ! Thanks so much for ALL your replies. I will ponder for a little while - let it sink in - then be back to respond.